Tech WondersPlay

Mind-Bending Math & GamesGeometry

The Missing Square

Rearrange the same pieces and a square appears from nowhere

Four pieces, one triangle. Rearrange them and the very same pieces leave a hole. So where did the extra space come from?

You'll find out

  • Where the extra space comes from
  • The flaw your eyes skip right over
  • The famous numbers behind the trick

Why it matters

A picture can look like proof and still lie. Mathematicians check the numbers, and soon you will too.

About 3 min6 interactive slides · 5 questionsLesson 24 · Zone 3

Play this lesson

Free to play in your browser or on iPhone

More in this zone

  1. 19ProbabilityShuffle Isn't RandomSpotify made shuffle less random because the real thing felt rigged
  2. 20Data StorageDeleted Isn't GoneDeleting a file usually just erases its address, not its contents
  3. 21GeometryThe Rope Around the EarthAdd one meter to a rope around the planet and it lifts 16 cm everywhere
  4. 22AttentionThe Invisible GorillaHalf of people miss a gorilla walking through a basketball game
  5. 23VideoThe Wagon-Wheel EffectWhy wheels spin backwards in videos
  6. 25ProgrammingThe Fencepost PuzzleA 10-meter fence with a post every meter needs 11 posts
  7. 26Exponential GrowthFold Paper to the MoonFold a sheet 42 times and it would reach the Moon
  8. 27AeronauticsHow Planes Really FlyThe famous ‘longer path over the top’ explanation is wrong