Pentominoes are polyominoes which consist of five squares. The term "polyomino" was invented by Solomon W. Golomb, professor in mathematics and computer science at the University of California.
The simplest form of a polyomino is the monomino, a single square. If you look at two squares you will find that there is only one way to connect them to form a domino. Then there are the trominoes, which can be connected in two different ways. The polyominoes that consist of four squares are called tetraminoes and there five ways to connect them.
There are 12 pentominoes. With these 12 pentominoes you can make different sorts of Pentomino puzzles, two of which I will describe: The Alphabet Pentominoes and the Board Pentominoes.
All 12 pentominoes can be formed from 9 of the remaining pentominoes and are always three times as large as the original. Choose one pentomino and try to make it with nine of the remaining pieces. You can see one example opposite. The pentomino pieces may be turned any way you like.
The objective of this Board Pentomino puzzle is to try to fill a board with all 12 pentominoes. The size of the board is 8x8 squares (checkers board). Since the 12 pentominoes together total 60 squares, 4 squares have to be left open. A few possible boards are shown below. However, if you want to view some board pentominoes straight away Click here
Draw the 12 different pieces on a piece of triplex or other material of your choice and carefully saw them out. Sandpaper them and paint all the pieces on both sides. When the pieces are finished, you can start puzzling.
Board-Pentomino Solver in Java
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