Critical Thinking Puzzles: 3x3x3 wooden cube

August 17, 2010

Imagine a 3x3x3 wooden cube.

How many cuts do we need to break it into 27 1x1x1 cubes?

André Meneses said...: 6 if you keep the cube togheter after every cut.

If after the first cut you consider each part a seperate one you'll need 26 cuts; August 17, 2010 at 2:41 PM
Anonymous said...: 6; September 6, 2010 at 9:10 AM
drblast said...: Five cuts.

Cut off one third of the cube. Lay that piece horizontally on top of the remaining piece, and cut through both.

You now have four pieces, a 1x1x3, a 1x2x3, and two 1x3x3's. Lay them flat on the table and arrange them to form a 1x3x9 grid. Cut 1/3rd off lengthwise.

Now set the one 1x1x1 block aside and arrange the rest to form a 2x13 grid, and cut that in half lengthwise.

Then, spin all blocks 90 degrees and arrange them into a transposed 13x2 grid, making the final lengthwise cut.; September 29, 2010 at 10:12 AM
Occum said...: Just 4 cuts

two cuts laterally and two cuts horozontally keeping it all together and producing 3x3x3 or...27; October 11, 2010 at 5:44 PM
DoubleBouble said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; October 19, 2010 at 12:46 AM
Anonymous said...: @ occum then you have 9 stris of 1x1x3; December 12, 2010 at 9:17 AM
Anonymous said...: With anything fewer than 6 cuts, how does the center cube (which as a fresh cut for every surface) get cut free?; September 21, 2011 at 3:48 AM
Prasad said...: Only 4 Cuts required.

2 on one side and other 2 on it's perpendicular side, keeping cubes together till final cut..; June 14, 2012 at 2:05 PM