The Puzzle Page

by:  Erik Oosterwal

Find another favorite puzzle or brainteaser here:
Custom Search


The Disappearing Tile

Here's a puzzle that has been circulating the Internet for some time.

In the picture below are two triangles made up of 2 sets of blocks.  Each set is identical.  In the top figure, the triangle fills one-half of a rectangle that is 13 units by 5 units, as you can see by the numbers along two sides of the triangle.  By rearranging the pieces the way you see in the lower figure, we end up with one empty square.



Both triangles are 5x13, and both are made up of the exact same cutout shapes.  Feel free to print a copy of this page and cut out the shapes for yourself if you don't believe it.

Where did the extra tile go?

I give up, show me the Answer



All original puzzles and solutions are © Erik Oosterwal 1993-2008

See all the brain teasers on The Puzzle Page.

Get daily puzzles in your RSS reader at The Puzzle Page Blog Site.

Looking for answers to computer programming problems?
Read what's going on in the Computer Science 101 classroom.