Here is a 8X8 square containing numbers 1 to 5 repeated four times. Can you divide the square into four similar shaped pieces such that each piece contains only one set of five numbers?

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| 1 |   |   |   |   |   |   | 1 | 
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| 4 | 3 |   |   | 4 |   |   |   | 
 ------------------------------- 
|   |   |   |   | 5 |   |   | 2 | 
 ------------------------------- 
|   |   |   |   | 5 |   |   | 2 | 
 ------------------------------- 
| 3 |   |   | 5 | 5 |   |   |   | 
 ------------------------------- 
|   |   |   | 3 |   |   |   |   | 
 ------------------------------- 
| 4 |   | 2 | 2 |   |   |   |   | 
 ------------------------------- 
| 1 |   |   |   |   | 3 | 4 | 1 | 
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(In reply to What next by Salil)

Pardon? 

I do not understand what you mean in the second sentence of your reply.  I suspect that you have omitted important ancillary words, but I am unable to decide what they may be.

While I am happy with what I achieved, don't depend upon me to replicate my complete thought process in getting there; I did this 'interactively' in an Excel spreadsheet but did not properly notorise my procedure.

Posted by brianjn on 2006-08-26 07:34:59