Math Magic is a web site devoted to
original mathematical recreations. If you
have a math puzzle, discovery, or observation,
please e-mail me about it. You can also send
answers to the problem of the month.

Problem of the Month (May 2013)

Given some subset of the digit shapes below, what is the maximum fraction of a square they can cover? The digits can be any size, but can not overlap.

For example, here are the best-known solutions for only one digit:

One Digit

12 / 25

5 / 18

11 / 25

45 / 121

11 / 25

12 / 25

35 / 121

13 / 25

What are the best solutions for 2 through 9 digits?

You can see all the best known results here.

Submit your answers here.

Weekly Puzzle Sites:	\| Ken Duisenberg \| NPR \| Puzzability \| The Griddle \| Puzzle Picnic \| Nick's \|
Other Puzzle Sites:	\| MathPuzzle.com \| IBM \| Retrograde Analysis \| Puzzle Palace \| Terry Stickels \|
Interactive Puzzle Sites:	\| Click Mazes \| Puzzle Beast \| Logic Mazes \| Color Shift \| Grid 1 \| 2 \| Boomshine \|
Physics-Based Puzzle Sites:	\| Perfect Balance 1 \| 2 \| Assembler 1 \| 2 \| 3 \| 4 \| Splitter \| \| Color Infection \| Redstar Fall 1 \| 2 \| Fantastic Contraption \|
Colleges with Puzzles:	\| Macalester \| Missouri State \| Purdue \| Hamline \|
Great Math Sites:	\| Geometry Junkyard \| Math World \| Mathematician Biographies \| \| Integer Sequences \| Inverse Calculator \| Geometric Dissections \|
Recreational Math Sites:	\| Mike Keith \| Harvey Heinz \| Primes \| GIMPS \| \| Polyforms \| World of Numbers \| Soup Kitchen \|