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Hamiltonian Cube

Age 11 to 16
ShortChallenge Level Yellow starYellow star
Secondary curriculum
  • Problem
  • Solutions

Cube Solution

The image above shows a possible path. Each edge joining a corner to a face centre has length $\frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}$ (by Pythagoras' Theorem), while each edge which joins two adjacent corners has length $1$. So the length of the path above is $1+6\sqrt{2}$. This is the length of the shortest path to pass through all the vertices.

To prove this, note the length of the shortest path must be at least $\frac{13}{\sqrt{2}}$. Such a path would move alternately between corners and faces, but as there are $8$ corners and only $6$ faces, so this is impossible. So at least one of the edges must join to corners, and so the shortest length is $1+6\sqrt{2}$.
This problem is taken from the UKMT Mathematical Challenges.
You can find more short problems, arranged by curriculum topic, in our short problems collection.

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The NRICH Project aims to enrich the mathematical experiences of all learners. To support this aim, members of the NRICH team work in a wide range of capacities, including providing professional development for teachers wishing to embed rich mathematical tasks into everyday classroom practice.

NRICH is part of the family of activities in the Millennium Mathematics Project.

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