Make a square with matchsticks!

Question

After the previous mat(c)h-stick puzzle, this one is relatively old.

Move only one matchstick to make a square.

Nice puzzle. I have to say that I like both of the answers below, which makes the puzzle ill-defined, i.e. bad. Going to DV.... Just kidding. I keep that one in memory ;c) — BmyGuest, Jul 31 '16 at 18:10
Thanks, i was just going through my questions and recalled this puzzle i had once thought of whilst playing with matchsticks :D — ABcDexter, Jul 31 '16 at 18:28
What do you mean relatively new? New for you maybe, but not a new puzzle. Maybe even new to be online, but I would be surprised. I first saw this puzzle over a decade ago. I think in a book belonging to my grandmother. With @rgthree's answer — Frames Catherine White, Aug 01 '16 at 03:40
I will one-up @Oxinabox and say I heard about this puzzle at least 20 years ago as a kid. So, no, not new by most definitions of the word. — nitro2k01, Aug 01 '16 at 11:23
@Oxinabox Ok, i think this is an old question so am updating the question. — ABcDexter, Aug 01 '16 at 11:35
@nitro2k01, indeed. I can attest that I learned this one from my great granddad, as he always liked to be the smart one in the room. He said he learned it in the first WW (trying to win drinks). Not sure it’s true, but it makes it an old trick for sure! — Abel, Feb 13 '22 at 21:21

score 62 · Answer 1 · answered Jul 31 '16 at 17:51

62

Move the right-most match to a diagonal between the top and left matches, making a 4, a square (number)

answered Jul 31 '16 at 17:51

JMP

35,612
7
78
151

You're absolutely correct :) – ABcDexter Jul 31 '16 at 17:56
2

While this is clever, since a match length is less than the diagonal, this doesn't really work. See a picture like http://i.stack.imgur.com/9bOZ4.png – Mark S. Aug 01 '16 at 00:32
10

@MarkS.; well it sort of works:), anyway you can stick up vertically from the tip of left match to get an LED 4, or even claim its a nine – JMP Aug 01 '16 at 00:36
1

@MarkS. Looks fine to me. I don't think that anyone will have difficulty recognizing your figure as a 4, just as people can read these fonts without any trouble. – David Richerby Aug 01 '16 at 12:08
3

@MarkS. It didn't state that the matches needed to be touching – mylogon Aug 02 '16 at 00:58
1

@MarkS. Or just arrange them in calculator fashion. – Neil Aug 02 '16 at 12:42

score 50 · Accepted Answer · edited Aug 01 '16 at 04:04

50

The answer is:

Move the left pointing stick slightly to the left so it's right end edge meets the other matchsticks' ends forking a square in the negative space.

edited Aug 01 '16 at 04:04

Community

1

answered Jul 31 '16 at 17:49

rgthree

656
7
5

1

And gone in a jiffy :) – ABcDexter Jul 31 '16 at 17:56

score 28 · Answer 3 · answered Aug 01 '16 at 07:19

28

The answer:

A match is easy to break

answered Aug 01 '16 at 07:19

Radovan Garabík

3,404
1
11
23

7

Welcome to Puzzling.SE, nice out-of-the-box thinking! – EKons Aug 01 '16 at 08:17
but impossible to break in HALF? – JMP Aug 01 '16 at 12:23
1

@JonMarkPerry It is possible, isn't it? – ABcDexter Aug 01 '16 at 12:29
4

If impossible to break in half, also impossible to build exact-length and exact-width matches, so no square-making solution has a non-zero probability. – Luis Masuelli Aug 01 '16 at 15:38
3

Even if it wasn't broken perfectly in half, the longer end could stick out some. – McKay Aug 01 '16 at 16:25
If you allow breaking the match, you can make any number of squares. :) – palsch Aug 01 '16 at 16:38
@LuisMasuelli Although there is nothing like infinitesimal accuracy when it comes to do things with bare hands, but this lateral-thinking should suffice :D – ABcDexter Aug 02 '16 at 08:57

score 10 · Answer 4 · answered Aug 01 '16 at 17:33

10

Pick up one matchstick and look at the "safe" end. It's a square. (Generally)

or...

Move any of the sticks however you like. Then pick up a pencil and draw a square.

or...

Pick up a fifth matchstick and use it to light all sticks. If done on the right paper you now have a cross-shaped hole in the paper, creating four flaps. Fold back the flaps. The resulting hole is a square.

answered Aug 01 '16 at 17:33

MarLinn

289
1
6

4

Light the match and use the burnt match to write C. C is the square of X in roman numerals. – Florian F Aug 01 '16 at 23:40
3

Or take the barometer to the building's superintendent and say "Hello Mr XYZ, I have here a very fine barometer, which I would gladly give to you if you will tell me the height of this building." – user253751 Aug 02 '16 at 06:46
Your first and third answers are clever but I don't see how the second one is "moving a matchstick to make a squaare". The use of the preposition "to" (rather than, say, the conjunction "and") implies that the movement of the matchstick causes the square to come into existence. Your second solution moves a matchstick and creates a square but there is no causal relationship between them. – David Richerby Aug 02 '16 at 10:02
@FlorianF, you guys took it too far – th3pirat3 Dec 29 '16 at 09:59
I would like to see more of this. – Willtech Mar 26 '18 at 08:48

score 2 · Answer 5 · answered May 15 '19 at 15:58

2

Select any matchstick to create a triangle, the write out formula for pythagoreans theorem A^2+B^2=C^2, the answer will result with (C) being SQUARED.

answered May 15 '19 at 15:58

Alf

21
1

1

Welcome to [puzzling.se]! This question isn't marked [lateral-thinking] so this is not likely to be a valid solution. – Glorfindel May 15 '19 at 16:18

Make a square with matchsticks!

5 Answers5