Challenge # 21 - summer 1996 [All lists]

Greetings MathMagicians:

The squares below have famous mathematician names and dates associated
with them. Your job is to pair up with your NTPs and after cutting (and
perhaps pasting to some cardboard) the squares, decide how they need to
be arranged so that the resulting 3 X 3 grid has true horizontal and
vertical information (you will need to move AND turn the squares - the
information needs to match, NOT the direction of the writing.) You are
looking for valid information where the pieces are touching: left/right
and bottom/top.

The letters provided below may help in describing the final solution:
       c                f         
 clockwise 90o  |    180o          |...This answer shows 'c' in the upper
 ---------------+------------------+...left position turned 90 degrees,
       a                               matching 'f' turned 180 degrees...
 clockwise 270o |...                   'a' is in the left column, center
                                       row, and so forth. Looks easy...

          a                      b                      c
 -------------------    -------------------    -------------------
|     1550-1617     |  |     1550-1617     |  |     c 300 BC      |
|                   |  |                   |  |                   |
|                   |  |                   |  |                   |
|c 540 BC           |  |c 825              |  |Pythagoras         |
|           c 300 BC|  |             Euclid|  |              c 825|
|                   |  |                   |  |                   |
|                   |  |                   |  |                   |
|    Al-Khwarizmi   |  |    Al-Khwarizmi   |  |    John Napier    |
 -------------------    -------------------    -------------------

          d                      e                      f
 -------------------    -------------------    -------------------
|    John Napier    |  |     c 540 BC      |  |      Euclid       |
|                   |  |                   |  |                   |
|                   |  |                   |  |                   |
|Al-Khwarizmi       |  |Al-Khwarizmi       |  |Al-Khwarizmi       |
|           c 540 BC|  |          1550-1617|  |         Pythagoras|
|                   |  |                   |  |                   |
|                   |  |                   |  |                   |
|      Euclid       |  |     c 300 BC      |  |      1550-1617    |
 -------------------    -------------------    -------------------

          g                      h                      i
 -------------------    -------------------    -------------------
|     c 540 BC      |  |    Al-Khwarizmi   |  |     c 540 BC      |
|                   |  |                   |  |                   |
|                   |  |                   |  |                   |
|Euclid             |  |1550-1617          |  |Pythagoras         |
|          1550-1617|  |           c 300 BC|  |        John Napier| 
|                   |  |                   |  |                   |
|                   |  |                   |  |                   |
|   Al-Khwarizmi    |  |     Pythagoras    |  |      Euclid       |
 -------------------    -------------------    -------------------

Remember to keep good records of your "thinking", ie, steps that led you
to a solution.
Good luck
Mr.H