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I have no idea the unique supply of this drawback; I’ve seen it just a few locations. The answer that I’ve seen shouldn’t be fairly within the sense that it lacks symmetry. Can you discover a chic answer? Of course, class is subjective.

User Stiv requested if the reply should be a single area. I’ll permit solutions that encompass a number of areas.

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Here’s a quite simple answer:

Make a parallelogram with base 4 and top 1, as proven:
image of parallelogram

Here, you’ll be able to see that the space from $A$ to $C$ is 2 models (because the black circle has radius 2, and $overline{AC}$ is simply one other radius). Similarly, $overline{BD}$ has size 2; so you’ll be able to place 4 matchsticks alongside the highest and backside, and a pair of on the 2 diagonals.

(This, in fact, generalizes to any space from 0 to eight – you simply have to vary the angles of the parallelogram.)

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If the matchsticks don’t must type one single enclosed area, and as an alternative the areas of a number of enclosed areas will be mixed to sum to an space of 4 sq. models, there are two extra trivial options:

Two trivial solutions

In reality, any association the place you’ll be able to type 4 unit squares from sixteen matches, after which mix them in a approach in order to take away 4 of them will present a sound reply.

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