Henry Ernest Dudeney/Puzzles and Curious Problems/335 - Three Times the Size

by : $335$

 * Three Times the Size
 * Lay out $20$ matches in the way shown in the diagram.


 * Dudeney-Puzzles-and-Curious-Problems-335.png


 * You will see that the two groups of $6$ and $14$ matches form two enclosures, so that one space is exactly $3$ times as large as the other.


 * Now transfer one match from the larger to the smaller group, and with the $7$ and $13$ enclose two spaces again, one exactly $3$ times as large as the other.
 * Twelve of the matches must remain unmoved from their present positions --
 * and there must be no duplicated matches or loose ends.


 * The dotted lines are just there to indicate the respective areas.

Also see

 * $211$ - The Twenty Matches, in the same collection