Definition

Noun: 1. A dissection puzzle of Chinese origin: A tangram is a puzzle consisting of a square that is cut into seven specific flat pieces (called tans): five triangles of different sizes, one square, and one parallelogram. The objective is to rearrange these seven pieces to form a given silhouette or shape without overlapping them.

Usage

The word "tangram" is used as a countable noun to refer to the puzzle set itself or to the activity of solving it. - The children were quietly focused on solving the tangram on the table. - She bought a wooden tangram as an educational toy. - Creating animals from a tangram improves spatial reasoning.

Advanced Usage

• As a concept in geometry and design: The word can be used in educational or mathematical contexts to discuss concepts of area, congruence, and spatial transformation.
  • The teacher used the tangram to demonstrate principles of geometric decomposition and composition.

Variants and Related Words

• Tan (noun): The term for an individual piece of a tangram puzzle.
  • The challenge is to use all seven tans to form the swan shape.

Synonyms

• Puzzle: A game, toy, or problem designed to test ingenuity.
• Dissection puzzle: A type of puzzle where a shape must be assembled from smaller, often geometric, pieces.

Related Phrases and Concepts

• Tangram puzzle: This is the full, most common term for the item. Using "puzzle" specifies the type of object.
  • A tangram puzzle often comes with a book of challenge shapes.
• Solve a tangram: The standard phrase for completing the puzzle.
  • Can you solve this tangram to make a running horse?

Noun

1. a Chinese puzzle consisting of a square divided into seven pieces that must be arranged to match particular designs