MATH FAIR

2019
GAME MECHANICS
T A N G R A M S
(TIME PRESSURED)

WHAT IS A TANGRAM PUZZLE?

The tangram puzzle originated in China and was then brought over to Europe
and America via trade ships in the early 19th century. It was immensely popular during
this time, and rose back to popularity during World War I. The tangram puzzle
challenges you to arrange seven separate pieces, called tans, into one shape. A set
of tans consists of two small triangles, one medium triangle, one square, one
parallelogram, and two large triangles. The shapes made from these pieces can be
geometrical, such as a square or triangle, or something more representational such
as animals, objects, or people. There are seemingly infinite different shapes that can
be made from these pieces as well as multiple different ways to configure those
shapes.
TANGRAM BENEFITS
While the benefits of tangram puzzles can be seen in people of any age, they
are most beneficial to young children. They are a great hands-on activity that can be
incorporated into the classroom or used at home. Below are the skills that tangram
puzzles can help to develop:
 Problem-solving and logistical thinking
 Creativity
 Geometrical concepts
 Spatial relationships
 Positive relationships with math
TANGRAM RULES AND HOW TO PLAY TANGRAM
Tangram is very simple to play. First, you need access to the tans themselves.
Next, arrange the tans to match the provided silhouettes or outlines. The tangram
rules are just as simple.
 The pieces must all be connected
 They must be flat
 No pieces may overlap
 The tans may also be rotated and/or flipped to form the shape.
 All seven tans must be used
 Each completed puzzle must contain all seven tans.
S T I C K P U Z Z L E
The Rules
Stick Puzzle is a puzzle game for two players. Several sticks are placed in a line
and players take turns removing one, two, or three matches from the table. You can't
take any more than three matches on any one turn, you have to take at least one, and
you can never put any back. The object is either to take the last match or force your
opponent to take it. It's more of a puzzle than a game, for if one player knows the
secret, it is either difficult or impossible for the other player to win, depending on how
the game starts.

Game Examples
EQUATIONS:
Try to rectify a mistake by moving a single matchstick, to get the correct
equation.
 The following equation is made of 11 matches:
o XI - V = IV (MORE SOLUTIONS)
o ANSWER: X - VI = IV or XI - V = VI or XI - VI = V
 The following equation is made of 11 matches:
o X + V = IV (MORE SOLUTIONS)
o ANSWER: IX - V = IV or X - VI = IV
 The following equation is made of 10 matches:
o L + L = L (MORE SOLUTIONS)
o ANSWER: C - L = L or L + I = LI
 The following equation is made of 12 matches:
o VI = IV - III (MORE SOLUTIONS)
o ANSWER: VI = IX - III or VI = IV + II
 The following equation is made of 14 matches:
o XIV - V = XX
o ANSWER: XIV - V = XX ... XV + V = XX
 The following equation is made of 11 matches:
o IX - IX = V
o ANSWER: IX - IX = V ... IX - IV = V
 The following equation is made of 12 matches:
o X = VIII – II
o ANSWER: X = VIII - II ... X - VIII = II
R U B I K ’ S C U B E
3X3 RUBIK’S CUBES:
1. Only 3x3 Rubik’s® brand cubes with the following logos will be allowed at this event:
2. Competitors must bring and use their own 3x3 Rubik’s Cube(s).
3. Cubes must be in reasonable working order.
4. Lubricating and/or sanding cubes is acceptable to make the cubes twist smoothly.
5. If a competitor’s Rubik’s Cube encounters a defect during a solving attempt (e.g., popped
parts, twisted pieces, or detached tiles), the competitor may choose to repair the defect and continue
the solve while the timer is still running, or to stop the solve and take a score of DNF.
a. If a competitor chooses to repair the cube, they must repair only the defective parts,
no tools may be used, and any repair made cannot give the competitor any advantage in solving.
COMPETITION PROCEDURE:
1. Competitors must be ready to submit their cube for scrambling when requested.
2. Competitors’ Rubik’s Cubes must be fully solved when submitted for scrambling.
3. Scramblers will apply a computer-generated random scrambling sequence to the Rubik’s
Cubes. The same sequence will be used for all cubes in a heat, but a different sequence will
be used for each heat.
a. Scrambling sequences will not be available to competitors before or during the
competition.
4. Cubes will be given back to competitors at the time of their solve.
5. Competitors will have 15 seconds to view/handle the cube before starting their solve. No
moves or adjustments may be made to the cube at this time. The table judge will use a stopwatch
to monitor the 15 second time period.
6. At the end of the review period, the judge will prompt the competitor to begin their solve.
At this time the competitor must put down the cube and place their hands on the timer.
7. The competitor will then immediately begin the solve by removing their hands from the
timer.
8. At the end of the solve, the competitor will stop the timer. Once the time has stopped, the
competitor may not touch the cube until the time is recorded on the scorecard.
9. The table judge will check the cube and note any penalties, see below, if the Rubik’s Cube
is not in the solved state.
10. The table judge will complete the scorecard and the competitor will verify the time is
correct by signing the scorecard. Any disputes regarding the time/penalties should be brought to the
attention of the Head Judge before leaving the table.
B e t c o u n t
Bet Count is game where each player will have to count 60 seconds accurately.
They will start to count once the facilitator have set the stopwatch and stop as the time
reach 60 seconds. Contestants must raise their hands once they are finished counting.
The contestant who have the nearest count to 60 second is the winner.

C u p b a l l e t
One side of the team has cups that have values (e.g. 10, 4, 6, etc.). Their team
member is standing opposite them with a bottle in his hand. The player who has the
cups need to throw them while their teammate tries to catch it with their bottle. The
facilitators will record the cups that the contestants caught. The team that manages to
get a high score wins.

B l o w m y c u p
Here, you will need to use the air inside a balloon to knock over the upturned
cups. Each person needs to blow up their balloon, and use this air to knock the cups
off the table and onto the ground. The competitor will need to keep re-inflating the
balloon and pick up from the last standing cup. But here’s the twist! The cups that the
contestants will blow have a specific value (e.g. 10, 4, 6, etc.) and the contestants will
draw a certain value to the facilitators (e.g. 60, 100, 78, etc.). The players will just need
to blow the cups that will sum up to the certain value that they draw.

Taste of knowledge
In this game, each player will need to draw a math related question and they
need to choose the answer on the cups that have water, water with salt, and water
with sugar. The correct answers on the cup that have water. The players need to drink
the cup they choose. They will know if the correct answer if they have drink the cup
that’s a water on it.