Can you cut an octagon into five pieces and rearrange them into a square? How about turning a star into a pentagon? These are just two of the infinite challenges of geometric dissections, the mathematical art of cutting figures into pieces that can be rearranged to form other figures, using as few pieces as possible. Through the ages, geometric dissections have fascinated puzzle fans and great mathematicians alike. Here are dissections known to Plato and exciting new discoveries alike. Greg Frederickson explains solution methods carefully, assuming only a basic knowledge of high school...

If you enjoy beautiful geometry and relish the challenge and excitement of something new, the mathematical art of hinged dissections is for you. Using this book, you can explore ways to create hinged collections of pieces that swing together to form a figure. Swing them another way and then, like magic, they form another figure The profuse illustrations and lively text will show you how to find a wealth of hinged dissections for all kinds of polygons, stars and crosses, curved and even three-dimensional figures. The author includes careful explanation of ingenious new techniques, as well as...

A dissection involves cutting a polygon into pieces in such a way that those pieces form another polygon; for a hinged dissection, the pieces must be attached by hinges. A piano hinge is "a long narrow hinge with a pin running the entire length of its joint." So, unlike regular hinged dissections, which swing or twist (around single point of hinge), piano-hinged dissections fold along an edge. This book discusses the history, methods, and variations of these dissections and is rich with illustrations that clearly depict the cuts of the dissections and three-dimensional simulations of the...

These novel and original dissections will be a gold mine for math puzzle enthusiasts and for math educators.