Assignment: CUBES

A cube is a three dimensional solid having 6 faces, 12 edges and 8 corners. All the edges of a cube
are equal and hence all the faces are square in shape.
In competitive exams a few questions may be asked based on cubes.
The questions on cubes may belong to any one of the following categories.
I. A cube is cut by making certain specified number of cuts. The directions in which the cuts are made
may or may not be given. We are to find the number of identical pieces resulting out of the given
cuts.
II. The number of identical pieces, into which a cube is cut, is given and we need to find the number of
cuts.
III. A cube could be painted on all or some of its faces with the same colour or different colours and
then cut into a certain specified number of identical pieces. Then Questions of the form — "How
many small cubes have 2 faces painted ?". "How many smaller cubes have only one face painted?"
etc. could then be framed,

PRACTICE QUESTIONS
Directions for questions 1 to 10 : Select the correct alternative from the given choices.
1. What is the maximum number of identical pieces a cube can be cut into by 3 cuts?
(a) 9 (b) 8 (c) 7 (d) 6
2. What is the maximum number of identical pieces a cube can be cut into by 4 cuts?
(a) 10 (b) 12 (c) 16 (d) 5
3. A cube is cut parallel to one face by making 10 cuts [such that all the resulting pieces are identical].
What is the maximum number of identical pieces that can be obtained by now making two more
cuts (in any direction)?
(a) 33 (b) 40 (c) 55 (d) 44
4. What is the maximum number of identical pieces a cube can be cut into by 13 cuts?
(a) 120 (b) 140 (c) 180 (d) 150
5. What is the least number of cuts required to cut a cube into 24 identical pieces ?
(a) 2 (b) 4 (c) 6 (d) 8
6. What is the maximum number of identical pieces a cube can be cut into by 7 cuts?
(a) 36 (b) 49 (c) 25 (d) 56
7. What is the least number of cuts required to divide a cube into 120 identical pieces?
(a) 6 (b) 8 (c) 15 (d) 12
8. What is the maximum number of identical pieces into which a cube can be divided by 12 cuts?
(a) 100 (b) 144 (c) 150 (d) 125

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9. What is the maximum number of identical pieces a cube can be cut into by 6 cuts?
(a) 12 (b) 36 (c) 18 (d) 27
10. What is the maximum number of identical pieces a cube can be cut into by 5 cuts?
(a) 25 (b) 20 (c) 18 (d) 16
Directions for questions 11 to 13 : These questions are based on the following information.
A large cube painted on all six faces is cut into 27 smaller but identical cubes.
11. How many of the smaller cubes have no faces painted at ail?
(a) 0 (b) 1 (c) 3 (d) 4
12. How many of the smaller cubes have exactly one face painted?
(a) 3 (b) 6 (c) 12 (d) 15
13. How many of the smaller cubes have exactly two faces painted?
(a) 36 (b) 6 (c) 12 (d) 15
Directions for questions 14 to 16 : These questions are based on the following information.
A large cube is painted on all six faces and then cut into a certain number of smaller but identical
cubes. It was found that among the smaller cubes, there were eight cubes which had no face painted
at all.
14. How many smaller cubes was the original large' cube cut into?
(a) 27 (b) 48 (c) 64 (d) 125
15. How many small cubes have exactly one face painted?
(a) 12 (b) 24 (c) 16 (d) 32
16. How many small cubes have exactly two faces painted?
(a) 6 (b) 12 (c) 18 (d) 24
Directions for questions 17 to 24 : Select the correct alternative from the given choices.
17. What is the least number of identical cuboids, each of-dimensions 2 cm × 4 cm × 5 cm, that are
required to form a cube?
(a) 160 (b) 240 (c) 220 (d) 200
18. 125 small but identical cubes have been put together to form a large cube. How many more such
small cubes will be required to cover this large cube completely?
(a) 208 (b) 212 (c) 218 (d) 224
19. 64 smaller but identical cubes are placed on a table to form a large cube. How many more such
smaller cubes are now required to enclose this large cube placed on the table completely?
(a) 125 (b) 116 (c) 100 (d) 132
20. A cube of side 6 cm has been cut into 64 smaller but identical cubes. If it was estimated that it
would take 4 litres of paint to paint all the faces of the original cube, then how much paint is
required to paint all the faces of ail the smaller cubes?
(a) 16 litres (b) 12 litres (c) 20 litres (d) 4 litres
21. 125 small but identical cubes are put together on a table to form one large cube. A knife is passed
through this cube starting along one edge of the top face to the diagonally opposite edge on the
bottom face. How many of the small cubes are cut by this knife?

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 (a) 25 (b) 36 (c) 64 (d) 16
22. Each face of a cube is painted either white or black. In how many different ways can the cube be
painted ?
(a) 8 (b) 10 (c) 12 (d) 16
23. A cube is cut into smaller but identical cubes such that the edges of each small cube are integers. It
was found that a particular cube X could be cut into 27 identical cubes or 64 identical cubes. What
is the largest number of small, but identical cubes, that can be cut from X, if X has the least
possible dimensions ?
(a) 1331 (b) 729 (c) 1728 (d) 2179
24. It was found that a cube can be cut into certain number of identical cuboids each measuring
1 cm × 2 cm × 5 cms. What is the side of the smallest such cube? How many such cuboids can be
formed from such a cube?
(a) 10 cm, 100 (b) 5 cm, 50 (c) 20 cm, 800 (d) 20 cm, 200
Directions for questions 25 to 27 : These questions are based on the following information.
There is a cube in which one pair of opposite faces is painted red, the second pair of opposite faces
is painted blue and the third pair of opposite faces is painted green. This cube is now cut into 216
smaller but identical cubes.
25. How many small cubes are there with no red paint at all ?
(a) 121 (b) 144 (c) 169 (d) 100
26. How many small cubes are there with at least two different colours on their faces ?
(a) 49 (b) 64 (c) 56 (d) 81
27. How many small cubes are there with only red and green on their faces ?
(a) 9 (b) 16 (c) 27 (d) 18
Directions for questions 28 to 30 : These questions are based on the following information.
There is a cube in which one pair of adjacent faces is painted red, the second pair of adjacent faces
is painted blue and a third pair of adjacent faces is painted green. This cube is now cut into 216
smaller but identical cubes.
28. How many small cubes are there with one face painted red ?
(a) 64 (b) 81 (c) 60 (d) 120
29. How many small cubes are with both red and green on their faces?
(a) 8 (b) 12 (c) 16 (d) 32
30. How many small cubes are there showing only green or only blue on their faces ?
(a) 64 (b) 72 (c) 81 (d) 96

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