Tangram
Tangram (Chinese: 七巧板, seven skills board) is a puzzle consisting of seven flat pieces, called tans, which are put together to form shapes. The objective of the puzzle is to form a specific shape (given only in silhouette outline) using all seven pieces, without overlapping them.
The earliest known printed reference to tangram appears in a Chinese book dated 1813, although this puzzle had its origin in more ancient times. The puzzle was brought to America in the early 19th century on Chinese and American ships.
Learning skills
This game develops these important skills:
• problem solving technique
• spatial intelligence
• ability to see out of the box
To solve a shape, you need to apply the problem solving technique:
• look at the silhouette
• analyse the components of the shape
• have a mental plan of how to form the shape
• implement the plan
• check that the constructed shape is correct.
This game also develops your spatial intelligence, which is an important skill for people in the creative arts and design field. This skill can be developed through practice.
Some of the shapes are tricky. On first glance, you may be led towards an approach that does not work. One piece will not fit or the final shape does not look right. You will need to start all over again. You need to look at a new way to approach the challenge. This helps you to think out of the box.
Mobile Devices
Tan Kin Lian & Associates have developed two version of this game for the Apple mobile device.
• The easier version is called Easy Tangram. The player has to touch a piece and drop it on the right part of the silhouette. If the place is correct, the piece is coloured. The shape is considered as solved when all 7 pieces have been correctly placed.
• A more challenging version is called Bright Tangram. The player has to touch a piece and move it to the correct place in the silhouette. The piece can be rotated or flipped by touching the icon. After all 7 pieces are successfully placed, the player can touch the “Check” button to see if they have been successfully placed.
Target
This game is suitable for children, adults and seniors. Each game has 100 shapes that can be selected in sequence or from a display panel. There is an achievement record to show the time taken by the player to solve each shape, or the number of moves that were taken.
Free version
Free version of the Easy Tangram and Bright Tangram are available, each containing 10 shapes only.
Customer Service
For customer service, go to www.tankinlian.com/mobile