Err

Where science meets magic and fun meets education!

Dudeney's Dissection

Shopping Satisfaction
Grand Illusions
(Code: 392)
5060195605065
400g
A beautiful physical version of Dudeney's Dissection, where the 4 pieces are hinged, so that you can transform one shape into the other.
£ 120.00

Sage pay, Visa, PayPal, Mastercard

We aim to ship within 24 hours

Henry Ernest Dudeney (1857-1930) was one of the greatest 19th century puzzlers, and in 1902 he posed a problem in his column in the newspaper The Weekly Dispatch. The problem was 'starting with an equilateral triangle, what is the minimum number of pieces you can cut the triangle into, so that the pieces can be rearranged into a square?'

Many readers wrote in, giving a solution that involved 5 pieces. However one person, a Mr C McElroy of Manchester, sent in a solution involving only 4 pieces. Interestingly, it appears that there is some doubt as to whether Henry Dudeney actually knew of the 4 piece solution at the time he wrote his original newspaper column! He subsequently included this problem in a book published in 1907 called The Canterbury Puzzles, where he called it the haberdasher's problem. However it is more commonly known as Dudeney's Dissection.

We are very pleased to be able to offer this beautiful physical version of Dudeney's Dissection, where the 4 pieces are hinged, so that you can transform one shape into the other. Created specially for us by a local engineering company, the 4 pieces are made on a CNC lathe from solid aluminium, which is subsequently anodized. The equilateral triangle has sides of length 15cm, while the square has sides of length 10cm. It is 9mm thick, and weighs about 250g.

Made in UK

  1. #Video#
Customer reviews
Shopping Satisfaction
 5/5
Normally I wouldn't have bought this as it's very expensive but I decided to treat myself, well protected with notes re Dudeney which was interesting-quite heavy as very solidly made from metal and engineered(hence the price). I take it and move back and forth like a mindful meditation. great item My only suggestion would perhaps be one made of wood or plastic for lower budgets.
Stuart H.
Shopping Satisfaction
 5/5
Bright colors, thick and solid. I’m so happy to have bought this product. Pierre from Paris.
Pierre E.
Shopping Satisfaction
 5/5
Good material for teaching geometry!
Seika A.
Shopping Satisfaction
 5/5
Pleasant design. Unfortunately, 2 of the 3 hinges were 80% out and the joints were loose, and pieces wobbled. Was able to hammer them back in however the wobbling remained. - Customer service sent a replacement, which has no wobble, and the hinges are flush. Very satisfied!
Yan.
Shopping Satisfaction
 5/5
X.
Niels H.
Shopping Satisfaction
 5/5
In my view this is a lovely example of traditional-style arts and crafts and simple science combined.
J.M. C.
Shopping Satisfaction
 5/5
Raymond Stanton Review collected by Feefo
Shopping Satisfaction
 4/5
Excellently made, expensive for what it is.
Marc Pawliger Review collected by Feefo
Shopping Satisfaction
 5/5
A superbly made resource to use with my Mathematics classes.
Alan Smith Review collected by Feefo
Shopping Satisfaction
 5/5
So beautifully made and engineered.
Alan Houston Review collected by Feefo