Can you solve the pentomino challenge?
There are two parts to this puzzle:
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Part 1: Cut 5 one-inch squares from posterboard (or paper).  Put the five squares together, in such a way that they are joined at sides only. The squares must join like this:  They can't join like this:   Also, the shapes are considered the same if they are mirror images, or rotated images. In other words the three shapes below count as only one distinct shape.    There are twelve shapes that can be made, see if you can find them all! |
Part 1 Solution
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Part 2: If you completed part 1, you should now have 12 shapes, each with an area of five square inches. So, all together the 12 shapes take up 60 square inches. (5 x 12) Now, the real challenge! Put the 12 shapes together in such a way that they cover an area of 6 inches by 10 inches, like below:  Sound easy? It's not! There are 2339 different ways to do it! Can you find just one?? |
Part 2 Solution