Tangram Puzzle

Description

Tan your grams! • Puzzle Diameter: 1.25 in / 31.8 mm (when complete!) • Box Diameter: 1.8 in / 45.76mm • Compact, laser-engraved wooden case included to display and transport puzzle Fresh from the Shire Post Labs, handmade by masterful metal-smith and craftsman Woody Maringer, comes our solid copper Tangram Puzzle! Challenge yourself by using every piece to create something new. The tangram, also known as "qiqiao ban" 七巧板 in Chinese, meaning "seven ingenious pieces," is a geometric puzzle thought to have originated in China sometime around the late 18th century. The earliest known tangram book was published in China in 1813. This seven-piece puzzle, consisting of various triangles, a square, and a parallelogram, spread to the Western world around 1815, likely brought by merchants on trading ships. Early Chinese mathematicians used similar shape manipulation in problem-solving, a technique still applied today. The tangram's popularity exploded in the early 19th century in Europe and America, becoming what some consider the first international puzzle craze. Its appeal lay in its ability to challenge individuals of all ages and abilities, despite its simple construction. The puzzle saw another surge in popularity during World War I. The enduring appeal of tangrams has led to their use not only for amusement but also as an educational tool, particularly in teaching geometry and spatial reasoning.