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#1 2005-05-01 15:03:48
- nitro4ce
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- Registered: 2005-05-01
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How can this be possible?
Please post any comments on this. I still don't know the solution.
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#2 2005-05-01 17:50:23
- MathsIsFun
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Re: How can this be possible?
I know what the answer is, and I will post it here in a day or so, but in the meantime ... does anyone else know? 
"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..." - Leon M. Lederman
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#3 2005-05-01 17:59:04
- nitro4ce
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Re: How can this be possible?
Is it hard to understand the answer?
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#4 2005-05-01 18:02:14
- MathsIsFun
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Re: How can this be possible?
I don't think so - I suppose it depends on my explanation ...
"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..." - Leon M. Lederman
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#5 2005-05-02 00:23:36
- Roraborealis
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- Registered: 2005-03-17
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Re: How can this be possible?
I know the solution. Take a closer look at both hypotenuses of the triangles.
School is practice for the future. Practice makes perfect. But - nobody's perfect, so why practice?
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#6 2005-05-02 09:58:16
- nitro4ce
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Re: How can this be possible?
What about the hypotenuses?
The partitions are exactly the same in the two triangles, how can it be possible that if the surfaces are the same, there is one block missing?
Lets say 1 block equals 1 cm^2
So the area of the triangle is:
(13*5)/2=65/2=32,5 cm^2
Take a look to the area of the different geometric shapes:
Red triangle: (3*8)/2=12 cm^2
Dark green triangle: (2*5)/2=5 cm^2
Orange shape: 7 cm^2
Green shape: 8 cm^2
Total area = 12+5+7+8=32 cm^2
There is a half block missing, but where?
Help please!
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#7 2005-05-02 10:51:59
- MathsIsFun
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Re: How can this be possible?
Weeellll..., I figured it out by cutting the images into pieces (not with scissors, but on the computer), and at first I couldn't see how it worked. I thought that the slight misfits I was getting was just sloppy cut-and-paste. But then I noticed what Rora is talking about ...
Have a very close look at the point 5 spaces along and 2 spaces up from the bottom left hand corner of both illustrations.
"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..." - Leon M. Lederman
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#8 2005-05-03 03:33:50
- Roraborealis
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Re: How can this be possible?
They've got the square there by squashing it in using the enlargement of the hypotenuse.
School is practice for the future. Practice makes perfect. But - nobody's perfect, so why practice?
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#9 2005-05-30 23:18:49
- Mr T
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- Registered: 2005-03-30
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Re: How can this be possible?
well the pic is gone now so will have to trust y'all
I come back stronger than a powered-up Pac-Man 
I bought a large popcorn @ the cinema the other day, it was pretty big...some might even say it was "large
Fatboy Slim is a Legend
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