paradox · traps · counting
Missing square puzzle
Four pieces. Two pictures.
These are the same four pieces. Where did the empty square come from?
Dashed line: a straight edge would cover 32.5.
32 colored
0 empty
Colored 32. Empty 0. The long edge bends in.
Colored squares stay 32. The empty count is the square on the picture, 0 or 1.
The long edge bends in when the empty count is 0, and out when it is 1. The dashed line is the straight edge.
A straight edge would close 32.5 squares. The bend is the empty square. The four pieces did not change size.