From these simple pieces it is possible to construct a seemingly unlimited set of patterns, shapes and forms. Certain classical shapes are famous for their beauty or difficulty of construction.
In 1978 I conceived the notion of extending the Tangram concept to include pieces that combined straight with circular edges.These can be arranged to completely fill the 14 shapes presented here. There must certainly be more of these shapes, both suggestive and non-trivial. If I find some they will be posted on this site.
The pieces and the designs are given here in several formats. The .docx versions of the designs
are approximately the right size to allow one to directly place the tangram pieces onto them. These pieces can be found and printed out at
Print them out, cut the pieces very carefully. They can be pasted onto cardboard, cardstock or some other backing to secure them.
These links go to .html pages holding
(1)The tangram pieces in two styles, and the blueprint for designing your own set
(2)A page of .jpeg images of the 14 designs
which can be downloaded and printed out. In these versions scaling is impossible, and one may have to create versions of the designs that are larger or smaller than the templates. If so desired I can send you a set in which the tangram pieces and the pictures make an exact fit. The price is $12 Write, E-mail, send check or money order to Roy Lisker 8 Liberty Street #306 Middletown, CT 06457 rlisker@yahoo.com