Page 54 - NUMINO Challenge_C1

Basic Concepts Matchstick Shapes

You can move, add, or remove matchsticks from the original figure to form
different shapes.

Move Move
two matchsticks. two matchsticks.

Five equilateral triangles Four equilateral triangles Three equilateral triangles

When you solve these puzzles, you cannot have any remaining matchsticks.

Move There cannot be
two matchsticks. any remaining matchsticks.

Five equilateral triangles Three equilateral triangles ( )

Example The five squares on the right are formed using 12
matchsticks. Form the following.

Remove two matchsticks to form two squares.

Move three matchsticks to form three squares.

Remove four matchsticks to form two squares.

Class Notes

Each of the four matchsticks inside the big square is a side of two smaller

squares. If you remove one matchstick, squares are removed.

So by removing two matchsticks, you can make squares.

There are matchsticks in all, so you can move

three matchsticks to make squares with separate sides.

If you remove four matchsticks, the remaining number of matchsticks

is , so you can make small squares with separate

sides.

Puzzles 51