Tangram Considered to Be The Earliest Psychological Test in The World

May 21, 2013

Tags: Tangram, Recreation Goods

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 an outline or silhouette) using all seven pieces, which may not overlap.

It was originally invented in China during the Song Dynasty, and then carried over to Europe by trading ships in the early 19th century. It became very popular in Europe for a time then, and then again during World War I.

It is one of the most popular dissection puzzles in the world. In China, the game was designed to evaluate a person's intelligence, along with the ancient game jiulianhuan or nine linked rings.

Psychologist Robert Sternberg states that it is considered "the earliest psychological test in the world," albeit one made for entertainment rather than analysis.

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History

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A caricature published in France in 1818, when the Tangram craze was at its peak

Reaching the Western world (1815–1820s)

The tangram had already been around in China for a long time when it was first brought to America by Captain M. Donnaldson, on his ship, Trader, in 1815. When it docked in Canton, the captain was given a pair of Sang-hsia-k'o's Tangram books from 1815. They were then brought with the ship to Philadelphia, where it docked in February 1816. The first Tangram book to be published in America was based on the pair brought by Donnaldson.

The second craze in Germany and United States (1891–1920s)

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Tangrams were first introduced to the German public by industrialist Friedrich Adolf Richter around 1891.The sets were made out of stone or false earthenware, and marketed under the name "The Anchor Puzzle".

More internationally, the First World War saw a great resurgence of interest in Tangrams.......MORE

Paradoxes

The seventh and eighth figures represent the mysterious square, built with seven pieces: then with a corner clipped off, and still the same seven pieces employed.

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The two monks paradox - two similar shapes but one missing a foot.

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The Magic Dice Cup tangram paradox - from Sam Loyd’s book Eighth Book of Tan (1903). Each of these cups was composed using the same seven geometric shapes.

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Clipped square tangram paradox - from Sam Loyd’s book Eighth Book of Tan (1903).

Pieces

Over 6500 different tangram problems have been created from 19th century texts alone, and the current number is ever-growing. The number is finite, however.

Choosing a unit of measurement so that the seven pieces can be assembled to form a square of side one unit and having area one square unit, the seven pieces are:

2 large right triangles (hypotenuse 1, sides $Tangram Considered to Be The Earliest Psychological Test in The World_7$ ,, area¼ )
1 medium right triangle (hypotenuse $Tangram Considered to Be The Earliest Psychological Test in The World_8$ , sides $Tangram Considered to Be The Earliest Psychological Test in The World_9$ , area $Tangram Considered to Be The Earliest Psychological Test in The World_10$ )
2 small right triangle (hypotenuse $Tangram Considered to Be The Earliest Psychological Test in The World_11$ , sides $Tangram Considered to Be The Earliest Psychological Test in The World_12$ , area $Tangram Considered to Be The Earliest Psychological Test in The World_13$ )
1 square (sides $Tangram Considered to Be The Earliest Psychological Test in The World_14$ ,, area $Tangram Considered to Be The Earliest Psychological Test in The World_15$ )
1 parallelogram (sides of $Tangram Considered to Be The Earliest Psychological Test in The World_16$ and $Tangram Considered to Be The Earliest Psychological Test in The World_17$ ,, area $Tangram Considered to Be The Earliest Psychological Test in The World_18$ )