Concept 3 of 8
Embedded Figures: Spot the Shape Inside
Today's big idea
Cover every option but one, then hunt for the shape complete and at the same size.
Almost-there shapes count for nothing, so check the corners before looking.
How it works
👀 What's going on?
A small shape is drawn on its own, and then four busier figures are offered. One of them has that shape hiding somewhere inside the tangle, and the other three only look as though they might.
💡 Here's the trick
Look at the figures above. The hidden shape has to appear complete and the same size, not merely suggested by a few lines that happen to be nearby. Checking one figure at a time, with the others covered, is what stops a near miss from being convincing.
🪄 How to do it
- 1.Count the sides and corners of the target above, then hold that number.
- 2.Cover every option but one with a finger.
- 3.Hunt for the exact shape in that one figure before moving on.
✍️ Try it
Where is a complete square hiding: in a triangle crossed by a line, or in a window frame with four panes? Then: does a circle with one straight line across it contain a triangle?
The window frame holds a square, since each pane is one. The circle does not contain a triangle, because a straight line across a circle gives two curved pieces and a triangle needs three straight sides.
⚠️ Watch out
You might be thinking a shape counts if you can nearly see it. It does not. Three lines that stop short of meeting make a shape that is almost a triangle, and almost is a wrong answer here.
🌟 Why this matters
Picking out one thing in a crowded picture is what you do finding a face in a photograph or a road on a map. Working through one candidate at a time is the whole method.
Exam tip: Count corners first, since a figure with too few corners can be ruled out without any searching.
Watch me solve one
Quanta solves it
“Watch how I think through one of these — then you try.”
THE PROBLEM
“A small TRIANGLE is hidden in one of these figures. Which one contains it?”
- 1
Describe the target
A triangle has 3 sides and 3 corners.
- 2
Cover the other options
Use your finger. Look at one option at a time.
- 3
Match edges and corners
The only option whose composite figure contains a triangle inside is the one labelled with a triangle.
- 4
Answer ✓
= the figure with the triangle inside
Now you try one — same steps, different story 👇
See it in action
⚡ Time to play!
Tap each triangle hidden inside the figure. Find them all.
HIDDEN SHAPES · ROUND 1 OF 3
Figure: a square with one diagonal
Quick check
✅ VERIFICATION
A hidden shape counts as found only when it is
⚡ Finish the activity above first to answer.
Keep going!
Up next: Counting Figures
Don't forget the outer shape. 4 small + 1 big = 5.