by Dave Youngs
This month the Puzzle Corner presents an open-ended, spatial-visualization activity that should both challenge and delight your students. The Infinite I is one of those delicious "put-together" puzzles that uses only a few pieces to form hundreds of interesting shapes. In this respect, it is similar to the popular tangram puzzle. Ironically, The Infinite I is a modification of the classic T puzzle in which people are challenged to make only one shape, a block T. By changing the length of one of the four pieces of the T Puzzle, a totally different type of puzzle emerges, the Infinite I. It is one which can create literally hundreds of interesting shapes, including a block T.
The challenge in The Infinite I is to have students make as many different shapes as they can using the four puzzle pieces. Students should be encouraged to make a record of their shapes by drawing each shape's outline on the page. These shapes can then be passed from student to student or placed on a bulletin board as challenges for the rest of the class.
A few of the possible shapes appear on the first page, but students should not be limited to these shapes. Some of these shapes, like the block T, may be difficult for students and will take persistence to solve.
The second page contains the puzzle. The page has four puzzles placed side-by-side to make it easier to cut them apart using a paper cutter. Copy this page on cardstock of some other similar material, one puzzle per student. It might be a good idea to give each student an envelope to keep the puzzle pieces together when not in use. (This will also allow them to take the puzzle home; it should prove popular with parents.)
I hope that you and your students will enjoy this puzzle!