Guest Posted November 15, 2007 Report Share Posted November 15, 2007 I understand the "trick" behind the puzzle. However, the title needs to be changed to "4 triangles" instead of "4 identical triangles. Because it doesn't matter how you explain the joke...in order for something to be identical to something there has to be more than one of it. there is no way to get 4 identical triangles from moving one matchstick in this puzzle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 15, 2007 Report Share Posted November 15, 2007 I understand the "trick" behind the puzzle. However, the title needs to be changed to "4 triangles" instead of "4 identical triangles. Because it doesn't matter how you explain the joke...in order for something to be identical to something there has to be more than one of it. there is no way to get 4 identical triangles from moving one matchstick in this puzzle. 1: I've already demonstrated a non-joke solution that satisfies the 4 identical triangle requirement. 2: Your reasoning is also flawed, because x = x. In other words, any given thing is identical to itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 16, 2007 Report Share Posted November 16, 2007 The solution is to make a 3 dimensional pyramid. There will be 4 identical triangles with the same amount of sticks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 16, 2007 Report Share Posted November 16, 2007 The solution is to make a 3 dimensional pyramid. There will be 4 identical triangles with the same amount of sticks. Well, the problem statement didn't limit itself to 2 dimensions, but I don't see a way to do such a thing with only a single matchstick move. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 16, 2007 Report Share Posted November 16, 2007 This is a pretty old teaser, it should have just said to make 4 identical triangles with the same amount of matchsticks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 27, 2007 Report Share Posted November 27, 2007 The solution hmm it is easy: move the match to make somthing like this 4 /_ (it`s mean four triang.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 1, 2007 Report Share Posted December 1, 2007 You said 4 triangleS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 21, 2008 Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 It seemed like the question was kind of misleading (even though i know it was just a joke) because it said "move one matchstick to get 4 triangles" (as in plural) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 11, 2008 Report Share Posted March 11, 2008 the plural of "triangle" proves that the answer is not correct. These kind of riddles suck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 11, 2008 Report Share Posted March 11, 2008 nonsense. 2 lines form an angle... not a triangle this is a ridiculously false reference. Despite there existing a joke solution, there also exists a real solution. /_/_ /_/_ That crude ASCII drawing of it might not make it clear, but if you draw it out yourself you'll see. If you just take one of the outside sticks and put it below, at the same angle, such that its top end is touching the point where the original triangles meet, then you have your solution: 4 identical triangles in 1 move. I think people were just getting stuck because they assumed that a triangle must have three lines. But if you took basic Geometry, you should know that if you know the size of one angle and the length of two sides, then you can figure out the other two angles and the other side. Now, assuming that the matchsticks are all of equal length (which they are in the original image for the puzzle), then we know that in fact all the angles are 60 degrees, because this is true of any triangle whose sides are all of equal length (the angles of any triangle must add up to 180 degrees, and if all the sides are equal then all the angles must be equal, so 60 * 3 = 180 is the only possibility). Therefore, if we preserve the same orientation of the matchstick when we move it, then the new angle will also be 60 degrees. From here, it's a rather simple matter to mathematically prove that all four triangles are in fact identical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 I'd first like to point out that the statement: if you know the size of one angle and the length of two sides, then you can figure out the other two angles and the other side. is not strictly true. If I'm looking at this correctly, it is only true in the case where the known angle is the included angle of the two known sides, if the angle is included by the shorter of the two known sides and the unknown side, or if it is a right triangle. In this case, though, the angle is included, so the statement is true. Of course, one would assume from the problem that each side of the triangle is supposed to be represented by a specific matchstick. One could also assume, though, that the problem intended for four triangles to be formed geometrically, not represented by the numeral 4. Since it's impossible for a solution to satisfy both these assumed properties, it makes just as much sense to count four triangles as being those uniquely determined by the matchsticks, even if there are not match sticks representing each of the individual sides, as it does to count the posted solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 25, 2008 Report Share Posted April 25, 2008 take a match, strike it, light the others so they burn, 0,0,0=0,0,0=0,0,0=0,0,0 silly but new thought line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 25, 2008 Report Share Posted April 25, 2008 Move the match stick twice. This point was unstipulated in the original problemb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 1, 2008 Report Share Posted May 1, 2008 4 Identical Triangles - Back to the Matchstick Puzzles Move one matchstick to get 4 triangles. 4 Identical Triangles - solution There is a solution in which you would get 4 identical triangles by moving one match. Take one match from the left, break it into three equal piecees and arrange them into an inverted trianle, inside the triangle on the right. (See sketch.) My appologies for the crudity of the sketch, I didn't have time to build it to scale or to colour it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 26, 2008 Report Share Posted May 26, 2008 You goofed the setup. You're supposed to ask for them to move one match to get four triangle. They assume you mean four triangleS which is impossible. You show them the solution and tell them you asked for four triangle... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 10, 2008 Report Share Posted June 10, 2008 How about a diamond with a cross in the center? the only problem with that is the question says move one match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 4, 2008 Report Share Posted July 4, 2008 this is the way i would move one and create 4 triangles however they could never be 4 complete triangles but the size is identical Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 15, 2008 Report Share Posted July 15, 2008 it's impossible to get 4 actual triangles with the current setup, so the only way to get 4 is to actually make a 4. that doesnt work at all because it says to move one match stick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 19, 2008 Report Share Posted July 19, 2008 the point is, it's just a little fun. don't over work yourself over it. it's supposed to make you say "ooohh i get it! haha that's funny." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 28, 2008 Report Share Posted July 28, 2008 (edited) It's an old trick. but identical... its not really identical if you have only one triangle and all "4 triangles" refer to the same one Edited July 28, 2008 by FreudianComplex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 1, 2010 Report Share Posted April 1, 2010 You can also move a matchstick in the first triangle to make another 4- IV ∆. Therefore, four triangles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 20, 2010 Report Share Posted May 20, 2010 you guys have too much unnecessary queries. jus do what the creator says. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 16, 2010 Report Share Posted October 16, 2010 break one of them in two Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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