Move Two Matches
This puzzle was in a homework assignment I gave to my students.
Puzzle. In the given configuration of matches, move two matches to form three squares.
I assume that the intended solution is the one below. Its appeal is that it has three squares of the same size and no dangling matches.
As usual, my students were inventive and suggested many alternative solutions.
- The first picture shows a solution with three squares of different sizes: two small ones and one twice as big.
- The next solution has two big squares and one smaller one.
- The following picture shows three squares of different sizes.
- Since the problem doesn’t forbid forming more than three squares, there are, of course, many solutions with more than three squares. The last picture has six squares.
A Facebook Challenge
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Hari:
Apologies for asking, but what is the initial configuration again? It seems to have only 9 matches in the image shown
13 February 2023, 10:49 amtanyakh:
Hari,
The initial configuration is at the top and has 9 matches.
13 February 2023, 11:34 am