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Difficulty: Tricky

Idir was in the bathroom when he noticed that the tiles weren’t all the same shape! Instead, there were two different shapes of tiles.

The larger tiles were octagons, shapes with 8 sides. Each side was the same length and all the angles were equal.

The smaller tiles also had all their sides the same length, and the angles at each corner were the same.

The larger and smaller tiles combined to make a pattern with no gaps.

Can you work out what shape the smaller tiles were?

Scroll down or click for a hint, or the answer!

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Brainteaser hint

This brainteaser is a lot easier if you have something to draw on. Try drawing some octagons and see what shapes might fill the gaps in your pattern.

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Brainteaser answer

Idir’s tiles are octagons and squares.

Octagonal and square patterned tiles.

Idir’s tiles are octagons and squares.
Image: ©iStock.com/Irina Guseva

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One response

  1. Steven Bailie Avatar
    Steven Bailie

    This reminds me of patterns seen in Turkish architecture. And my bathroom floor!

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