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Can you solve the Mondrian squares riddle? - Gord Hamilton

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TEDEd Animation

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Dutch artist Piet Mondrian’s abstract, rectangular paintings inspired mathematicians to create a two-fold challenge. Can you solve the puzzle and get to the lowest score possible? Gordon Hamilton shows how.

WatchThink Dig Deeper Discuss
Mondrian art puzzles become tougher to solve the larger the canvas becomes, but there is a way to determine an answer for an n x n canvas. For an odd n, split the canvas into two rectangles. If we do this wisely we prove that an n x n canvas can score _______.

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Meet The Creators

  • Educator Gord Hamilton
  • Director Anton Trofimov
  • Script Editor Alex Rosenthal
  • Associate Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott, Elizabeth Cox
  • Content Producer Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
  • Narrator Addison Anderson

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