The Five Square Puzzle

This famous puzzle was often included in compendiums of puzzles in the 19th Century. This particular example is from a Jaques set of around 1860.

Several examples of the sheet of 5 squares shown opposite were supplied and the puzzler was challenged to convert this into a single large square with only two straight cuts.


Frequently the little boxes contain haphazardly spoiled pieces where the puzzler has not thought of testing their ideas with pencil on paper before getting out the scissors.
This is the correct cutting.
 

To be rearranged into the single large square.

 

The observant will notice that this puzzle has often been reproduced as already cut up wooden pieces: 5 triangles and 5 quadrilaterals to be made into a larger square.

 

- - + - -

 

20170417 2201