Pentominoes
Introduction
A pentomino is a shape made up of 5 equal squares touching edge to edge. An example of which is on the right.
How many different pentominoes can you make?
Look at this nRich task for guided support.
You may wish to use this on mathigon's polypad to draw them all out.
How do you know you have them all?
Further Questions and Challenges
Can you predict and find the perimeter of each pentomino?
Can you predict and find which pentominoes make a net for an open box? Click on the hyperlink to find out what a net is.
Can you predict and test which pentominoes tesselate? Click on the hyperlink to learn more about tesselatation.
Can you predict and test the number of shapes made with 5 triangles or hexagons instead?
You may wish to use this on mathigon's polypad to draw them all out.
Can you predict and test the number of shapes made with 5 multilink cubes instead?
You may wish to use this on mathspad to draw them all out. (You will need to take screenshots and save them on a separate Google Doc)
Put 10 squares together. How many ways can the shape be cut into two pentominoes?
Put two different pentominoes together. How many different shapes can be cut into two pentominoes?
Pentomino Puzzles
Have a go at these puzzles:
Hard (mathigon)
Impossible - check out these hexomino and pentacube puzzles!
Pentomino Game
Pentomino is played on a 8 x 8 grid and contains the 12 pentomino tiles plus 12 cards to distribute six pentominoes to each player before the game.
You can create you on 8 x 8 grid by clicking on the "grid and display" tool on the right.
You can assign each other a pentomino tile by throwing a 12 sided die.
Players now alternately place one piece per turn on the board, until no tile can be placed anymore.
The player who placed more tiles than the other, wins.