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Crawl Around the Cube

Age 11 to 14
ShortChallenge Level Yellow starYellow starYellow star
Secondary curriculum
  • Problem
  • Solutions

At Q the ant can choose first to go left to T, then right to W.
Otherwise, at Q it can go right to R and then left to W.

W is the corner diagonally opposite to P and is reached by either route after three edges (and no fewer).

So after exactly three more edges, the ant must reach the corner opposite W, that is, P.

So the ant will return to P after travelling along 6 edges.



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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