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Dissecting squares

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2016

Joe Kingston  and
Des MacHale
Joe Kingston
Affiliation:
Department of Mathematics, University College Cork, Ireland
Des MacHale
Affiliation:
Department of Mathematics, University College Cork, Ireland
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Extract

The activities described in this paper are highly addictive. They can be injurious to work, mental health, personal relationships, serious research and the future of the rain forest. The authors can accept no responsibility for the subsequent behaviour of people who read this paper.

Geometric dissection theory is connected with ‘cutting up’ plane and solid objects and reassembling the pieces to form other objects. It is a very ancient and venerable mathematical activity going back to Euclid (circa 300 BC) and perhaps beyond. In Euclid’s Elements we find a square dissected into four pieces to illustrate the algebraic identity (a + b)2 = a 2 + b 2 + 2ab.

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Type
Articles
Information
The Mathematical Gazette , Volume 85 , Issue 504 , November 2001 , pp. 403 - 430
Copyright
Copyright © The Mathematical Association 2001

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