Toothpick puzzles (more commonly called “matchstick puzzles”—but it’s safer to use toothpicks than matchsticks) are an old form of geometric puzzle. We’ll try a few of them this month and some trickier ones next month.

1. Remove three toothpicks from the arrangement below to leave exactly three squares.	2. Remove six toothpicks from the arrangement below to leave two squares.	3. Remove eight toothpicks from the arrangement below to make two squares.	4. Remove six toothpicks from the arrangement below to leave three squares.

Math Background

Puzzles like these have been around for more than a hundred years. They help develop geometric visualization skills. If you enjoy puzzles like this, Google “matchstick puzzles” and you’ll find dozens more. Once you get the hang of it, it’s easy to make up your own puzzles.

After you’ve tried this for yourself check our solutions.

…try some Science Lab projects about…
Air & Space
Earth Science
Electricity & Magnetism
Properties of Liquids

…try some interactive experiments in our…
Virtual Lab

…or test your skills at our…
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