Fans of cerebral challenges, gather around! We all have a weakness for these puzzles which put our mental agility to the test, and what joy when we unravel their mystery! It’s an opportunity to tackle challenging puzzles and test our knowledge of mathematics, which has often been put aside since our days at school. Today, I offer you a challenge that seems simple on the surface: how many rectangles can you identify in the following image? Get ready, because this riddle has left more than one mathematician perplexed!
The rectangle challenge: a real puzzle!
Before throwing yourself body and soul into counting rectangles, take a moment to review the geometry lessons of your youth. Believe my experience, a little reminder of the basics can prove valuable before taking on this kind of challenge.
After examining the image, do you have an idea of the number of hidden rectangles?
The answer revealed: how many rectangles?
A little theory to warm up the neurons: remember that a parallelogram with right angles is a rectangle and that one rhombus with right angles is actually a square, which itself is a type of rectangle. It is on this subtlety that the solution to our enigma rests.
If you’ve been rewatching your classics, you might be ready to find out the answer. Otherwise, here is the long-awaited reveal:
- 14 squares (which are also rectangles)
- 6 rectangles dimension 1×3
- 4 rectangles 2×3 size
- 12 rectangles 1×2 dimension
If you add it up, you get 36 rectangles. Are you among those who have foiled the trap and found the right account?
If you succeeded, congratulations! Otherwise, don’t worry, the world of math puzzles is vast and full of new opportunities to sharpen your mind. Continue to challenge yourself and enjoy solving these little logic puzzles that make our brains work in a fun and captivating way.
