Folding and Cutting a Set of Tangrams

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Folding and Cutting a Set of Tangrams
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• Fold a regular sheet of 8.5 x 11 inch paper so
  the short side lies along the long side, as
  illustrated.  Open the paper. Fold the opposite
  short side at the bottom of that fold.  Open and
  cut off the rectangle just formed.

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• Fold the square along one of its diagonals.
• What two shapes have your made?
• Cut the two shapes apart.
• Can you make it back into a square?

4

• Pick up one of the isosceles right triangles and
  fold it along its line of symmetry.
• What two shapes have you made out of the
  isosceles right triangle?
• Cut the two shapes apart.
• Can you make the three pieces back into a square?
• What is the relationship between the two
  different isosceles right triangles?

5

• Pick up the largest isosceles right triangle and
  locate the midpoint of the hypotenuse by folding.
  Fold the vertex of the right angle to this
  midpoint.
• What two shapes have you made out of the
  isosceles right triangle?
• Cut the two shapes apart.
• Can you make the four pieces back into a square?

6

• Pick up the isosceles trapezoid and fold it along
  its line of symmetry.
• What two identical shapes have you made?
• Cut the two shapes apart.
• Can you make the five pieces back into a square?
• Take one of the right trapezoid (we'll call it a
  boot) Fold the toe to the heel. Cut along the
  fold

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• Take the other right trapezoid (or boot) and fold
  the heel to the laces.  Cut along the fold. .
• What two shapes did you make.
• Cut them apart.
• What is the relationship between the three
  isosceles right triangles?

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• Can you put all 7 pieces back together to make a
  square?
• Think about how each piece was created. This
  could help you put the shapes back into a square.