M3 Think Fast/Boundary Breaker:
Six Straws and Some Triangles
Given six straws of equal length, can you form two equal-sided triangles without breaking or cutting the straws?
Maura Zonta, Milan, Italy; Acrylic on Canvas, 2011.
If we take away one straw, leaving your team with five, can you, still form two equal-sided triangles without breaking or cutting the straws?
Dale Chihuly, glass sculpture, 1985.
Giving you back one straw, so your team has six straws of equal length, can you now form four equal-sided triangles without breaking or cutting the straws?
Textile (cloth) art, South Africa, 2011.
What is the maximum number of congruent triangles you can make using 6 straws?
If the triangles do not have to be congruent (can be any size or type) what is the maximum number you can make using 6 straws?
Juan Enrique, contemporary student art based on Aztec design, 2012.