Dissections

Can you cut an octagon into five pieces and rearrange them into a square? Turn a star into a pentagon? These are just two of the infinite challenges of geometric dissections, the mathematical art of cutting figures into pieces that can be rearranged to form other figures while using as few pieces as possible. This book shows you many ingenious ways to solve these problems and the beautiful constructions you can create. The author explains solution methods carefully, assuming only a basic knowledge of high school geometry, then poses puzzles to solve. He also introduces the people--famous, and obscure--who have worked on these problems, traveling from the palace school of tenth-century Baghdad to the mathematical puzzle columns in turn-of-the-century newspapers. This beautifully illustrated book will provide hours of enjoyment for any puzzle enthusiast.