The 64 Sugar Cubes Puzzle: Six Equal Distances

A 4×4×4 block has three colors; prove that six same-colored pairs share a distance.

Kanal
3Blue1Brown
Veröffentlicht
24. Juli 2026
Video
0:55
Lesezeit
1 Min.
Original
Englisch
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3Blue1Brown poses a puzzle based on a 2024 British Mathematical Olympiad problem, leaving its proof to the reader.

  1. 1Arrange 64 sugar cubes in a 4×4×4 block. Each cube is white, blue or brown.Arrange 64 sugar cubes in a 4×4×4 block. Each cube is white, blue or brown.
  2. 2Prove that there are six pairs containing 12 distinct cubes, all of one colProve that there are six pairs containing 12 distinct cubes, all of one color, such that the distance between the centers of each pair is the same.
  3. 3The proof must work no matter how the three colors are assigned to the 64 pThe proof must work no matter how the three colors are assigned to the 64 positions. The short video poses the challenge without giving the solution.

Das Wichtigste

  1. Arrange 64 sugar cubes in a 4×4×4 block. Each cube is white, blue or brown.
  2. Prove that there are six pairs containing 12 distinct cubes, all of one color, such that the distance between the centers of each pair is the same.
  3. The proof must work no matter how the three colors are assigned to the 64 positions. The short video poses the challenge without giving the solution.
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01

The question

Arrange 64 sugar cubes in a 4×4×4 block. Each cube is white, blue or brown.

Arrange 64 sugar cubes in a 4×4×4 block. Each cube is white, blue or brown.

02

The implications

The proof must work no matter how the three colors are assigned to the 64 positions. The short video poses the challenge without giving the solution.

Prove that there are six pairs containing 12 distinct cubes, all of one color, such that the distance between the centers of each pair is the same.

The proof must work no matter how the three colors are assigned to the 64 positions. The short video poses the challenge without giving the solution.

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