Making a Square

Since 8.5 by 11-inch paper can be more plentiful than square paper, it is appropriate to teach students how to make a square from a rectangular, non-square piece of paper. One way to explain this follows:

1. Fold the short side over against the long side. This marks the length on the long side that you want to keep. A square is a rectangle with equal sides and so this will produce a rectangle with all sides equal to the original short side.
2. Fold the extra part over. Unfold and fold in the other direction. This weakens the paper along the marked line.
3. Carefully tear the extra part off.

The sketch was done with Paint Shop Pro.

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