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Touching Circles

Category: 3D Objects & 2D Shapes and Patterns
Suitable for Grade Level: Elementary and Secondary

The Math in this Problem:

Using red, blue, and yellow circles, students are challenged to fill in various shapes made up of circle units. The test of Touching Circles is to not have a circle next to another one of the same colour. Since the different colours can be applied one by one, this makes for a fun two-player game, with the winner being the last one able to make a move.

Fill the following triangle with red, yellow and blue circles so that no circles of the same color are next to each other.

Extensions:

  • Is your answer unique?
  • Can you fill a larger triangle with red, yellow and blue circles so that no circles of the same color are next to each other?
  • Can you fill the following hexagon with red, yellow and blue circles so that no circles of the same color are next to each other?
  • How many circles of each of the three colours are needed for a triangle with N chairs per side?
  • Find a shape which is not possible to fill using the three colours.
  • Mathew, Desirée and Cade of Alice M. Curtis Campus ask you to fill the following square with four colours, so that no connected circles share the same colour.
  • Can four colors also be used to fill this triangle? (Remember, no connected circles can share the same color.)

Two person game:

Each player takes turns tossing a circles into the small hexagon below. A player may not toss a circle so that two touch that have the same colour. The winner is the last player able to move.

Same idea with a terrestrial theme…
Colour the bunny rabbits… the same idea again…