You have 8 sticks. 4 are exactly half the height of the other 4. Arrange the sticks that you make exactly three squares of same size. No breaking or bending the sticks.
Are you sure it is 3 squares rather than 4?
If 4, have longer sticks in a square, and shorter sticks bisecting within the larger square.
To arrange the eight sticks to form three squares of the same size without breaking or bending them, follow these steps:
1. Start by arranging two of the shorter sticks parallel to each other to form the sides of a square. Place them close enough together so that two longer sticks can be connected in between.
Short stick | Long stick | Long stick | Short stick
2. Connect a longer stick to each end of the shorter stick in the first square to form the top and bottom of the larger square.
Short stick
|
Long stick --- Long stick
|
Short stick
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 to create a second square adjacent to the first one. Use the remaining two shorter sticks and two longer sticks to form the sides, top, and bottom of the square.
Short stick | Long stick | Long stick | Short stick
Short stick
|
Long stick --- Long stick
|
Short stick
4. Finally, connect the two remaining longer sticks to the ends of the upper and lower shorter sticks to complete the third square.
Short stick | Long stick | Long stick | Short stick
Short stick
|
Long stick --- Long stick
|
Short stick
Long stick
|
Long stick --- Long stick
|
Short stick
5. You should now have three squares of equal size formed by the arrangement of the eight sticks.
To solve this puzzle, we can follow these steps:
1. Take the four sticks that are half the height of the other four. These will be our shorter sticks.
2. Find the longest stick among the four longer sticks. This will be the side length of our squares.
3. Arrange the longest stick to form the side of the square, making sure that it is placed horizontally or vertically.
4. Use the remaining three longer sticks to form the remaining sides of the square, connecting to the ends of the first stick you placed.
5. Now, take the remaining longer stick and place it as the bottom side of the second square, ensuring it is parallel to the bottom side of the first square.
6. Use two of the remaining shorter sticks to complete the second square, connecting to the ends of the longer stick you just placed.
7. Finally, use the remaining shorter stick to form the third square, connecting to the ends of the first two shorter sticks.
By following these steps, you will have arranged the eight sticks to form three squares of the same size, without breaking or bending any of the sticks.