Henry Ernest Dudeney/Puzzles and Curious Problems/190 - A Horseshoe Puzzle

Puzzles and Curious Problems by Henry Ernest Dudeney: $190$

A Horseshoe Puzzle

Here is an easy little puzzle, but we have seen people perplexed by it for some time.

Given a paper horseshoe, similar to the one in the illustration,

can you cut it into seven pieces, with two straight clips of the scissors,

so that each part shall contain a nail hole?

There is no objection to your shifting the pieces and putting them together after the first cut,

only you must not bend or fold the paper in any way.

Sources

• 1932: Henry Ernest Dudeney: Puzzles and Curious Problems ... (previous) ... (next): Geometrical Problems: Dissection Puzzles: $190$. -- A Horseshoe Puzzle
• 1968: Henry Ernest Dudeney: 536 Puzzles & Curious Problems ... (previous) ... (next): Geometrical Problems: Dissection Puzzles: $354$. A Horseshoe Puzzle