Author(s): Sam Loyd

Mathematics

The challenge of the tangram, the original "Chinese puzzle," lies in your ability to arrange seven geometrical pieces - a square, a rhomboid, and five triangles - into a variety of different shapes. Collected by Sam Loyd, America's great puzzle expert, these 700 endlessly absorbing tangrams offer hours of mind-expanding amusement. Sam Loyd's The Book of Tangrams is also a tribute to this tricky and intriguing puzzle. In a famous and delightful spoof of the tangram's history, Loyd includes running commentary on the popular puzzle's origins in ancient China, its religious significance, and its relation to the Pythagorean theorem. But don't let the amusing dialogue fool you! The puzzles are genuine challenges. If you've ever tried your hand at tangrams before, you're probably already addicted to their limitless possibilities. If you haven't, this classic puzzle potpourri will have you hooked in no time! Solutions are included. AUTHOR: One of America's great puzzle-makers, Sam Loyd (1841-1911) devised and revised thousands of puzzles, including rebuses, tangrams, and word and math puzzles.