Tangram, 七巧板, Recreational math, Pedagogy

The Tangram, known as “七巧板,” is “a Chinese puzzle made by cutting a square of thin material into five triangles, a square, and a rhomboid which are capable of being recombined in many different figures” (Merriam Webster). Simple as it is, it has been used in recreational and formal mathematics for centuries, affording students of all ages meaningful and surprising mathematical explorations and insights. Today, one can design much more complicated puzzles in a tangram style. However, the orig