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The tangram is a dissection puzzle consisting of seven flat shapes, called tans, which are put together to form shapes. The objective of the puzzle is to form a specific shape (given only in outline or silhouette) using all seven pieces, which may not overlap.

Brief History of Tangrams

The tangram is one of the historical disection puzzles originating from imperial China.  Various tangram patterns may be form from the simple geometric pieces of the tangram puzzle.  One documentation on tangrams was recorded in a Chinese book dated 1813, however, tangrams have been know to have existed much earlier in history.  Another book, "New Figures of the Tangram" by Shan-Chiao, was published in China in 1815, which contained 374 tangram patterns.  These documentations were written during the reign of emperor Chia-Ching, during the time when tangrams were at the summit of its popularity in China.  Tangrams were called 七巧板 or "Chi-Chiao Pan", meaning "the seven intriguing pieces".  Known to the Chinese as the "wisdom puzzle", tangrams have been well-known to the western world since the 19th century.  Well-known people, such as Edgar Allan Poe, Napoleon, H.E.Dudeney, and Sam Loyd have all shown great interest in tangrams.  By 1817, tangrams had gain popularity in Europe and America.  In fact, the word tangram officially appeared in Webster's dictionary in 1864