"T" Puzzle

2008

Problem:

T Shape Using the 4 pieces shown, create a capital letter 'T' without gaps or overlaps.

Then try some others shapes you can make - either invent your own or see a selection below.

40 copies were produced for a workshop as a handout to all the participants.

PDF booklet:

History

The earliest known example of a T puzzle was an advertisement for White Rose Ceylon Tea dating back to 1903 [1]. A picture of this early puzzle can be found on the Historical Folk Toys web page [2] see below.

A little later, Amour’s in Chicago used it to promote sausages [3] see picture on the right.

Over time many variations of the puzzle have been created to allow other shapes beyond just the T to be made with the pieces.

Martin Gardner described a version in his famous puzzle column in the Scientific American magazine [4] which allowed the pieces (Figure 3) to form the "classical T" as well as the "Fat T" and the "Teezer" shape.

Shapes you can make:

References:

[1] "New Book of Puzzles", Jerry Slocum and Jack Botermans, 1992, p 12., W.H. Freeman, NY, ISBN 0-7167-2356-6
[2] http://www.historicalfolktoys.com/catcont/2102.html
[3] http://www.wood-puzzle.com/uk/historien.htm
[4] http://www.puzzles.com/PuzzlePlayground/TheTPuzzle/TheTPuzzle.htm

Sources of some of the many other shapes:
[5] http://www.wood-puzzle.com/uk/theT.htm
[6] http://www.nuuanu.k12.hi.us/nuuanuweb/Nuuanu%20Class%20pages/tpuzzle/tpuzzle.html