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Olivia Hagan

Mr.Acre & Mrs.Gravel

GAT/IDS 9A

17 January 2017

Cube in a Cube

The idea that a few pieces of paper can be transformed into a three dimensional object

bewilders many. What can be considered even more perplexing is creating a cube inside of a

larger cube. However, what can seem to serve no purpose can hold much more information. This

information can be obtained when an object, like the cube in a cube, is looked at from a

mathematical perspective. By looking at the cube in a cube from a mathematical point of view,

the surface area and volume can be calculated.

Before the surface area and volume can be calculated, the side lengths of the cubes need

to be found. When making both the inner cube and outer cube, a 6 in by 6 in piece of paper is

folded so that it fits together with the other pieces of paper to form the cubes. Using knowledge

of squares and triangles, the side lengths of the cubes can be calculated.

Figure 1. Side Lengths of the Inner Cube

To find the side lengths of the inner cube, to know how the piece of paper are formed is

needed. The cube is made out of 6 in by 6 in paper. The paper is folded in half, then the two
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edges are folded to the fold line. This makes the long edge to be 6 in and the shorter edge to be 3

in. The right edge is then folded to the top edge, this creates a special 45 - 45 - 90 degree

triangle. Since this is 45 - 45 - 90 degree triangle the side opposite the 90 degree angle is the

measure of the side length of the other side,2 or x2. In this case it is 32. The same process

happens to the other side, creating a parallelogram. The top edge of the parallelogram is then

folded to the vertical line formed by the folds. This happens to the other side as well. This then

forms a square made out of two 45 - 45 - 90 degree triangles. The hypotenuse of the triangles is

known, which is 3 in. The other two sides are congruent since it is a 45 - 45 - 90 degree triangle.

To find the other two sides, which will be the side lengths for the cube, divide 3 by 2. The side

/*lengths of each face of the inner cube are 1.52 in.

Figure 2. One Face of Finished Inner Cube

When finished constructing the inner cube, one face should look like this. Each side

measures 1.52 in.

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Figure 3. Side Lengths of the Outer Cube

To find the side lengths of the outer cube, it is important to understand how to get the

outer cube pieces. Just like the inner cube, it starts with a 6 in by 6 in piece of paper. The paper is

folded in half to create a fold line. Then it is unfold, and both edges are folded to the fold line.

The makes the long edge 6 in and the shorter edge 3 in. The upper right corner is then folded to

the top edge, and rotated 180 degrees and the step is repeated. Small special 45 - 45 - 45 - 90

degree triangles are formed. The legs are both 1.5 in since the triangles are one fourth of the total

length of the paper which is 6 in. The side opposite the 90 degree angle in the triangles is 1.52.

The right edge is then folded to the top edge and then rotated 180 degrees and repeated. This

forms another 45 - 45 - 90 degree triangle seen highlighted in the fourth picture in Figure 3. The

side opposite the 90 degree angle is 32 in. The paper is then folded in half, the value of the edge

does not change and stays 32 in. The white triangles highlighted edge seen above is 1.52 in.

Lastly, the square edges are then folded in to form the seventh picture in Figure 3. The side

lengths of the outer cube are 32 in.

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Figure 4. One Face of Finished Outer Cube

When finished constructing the outer cube, one face should look like this. Each side

measuring 32 in.

Surface Area of the Inner and Outer Cubes

Now that the dimensions of both cubes are known, it is now possible to calculate the

surface area and volume. The side lengths of the inner cube, as discovered earlier, are 1.52 in.

The side lengths of the outer cube are 32 in.

Surface Area= (Side Length)(6) Surface Area Formula for a Cube

Surface Area= (1.52)(6) Substitute Values Into the Formula

Surface Area= 27 in Multiplication Property

Figure 5. Total Surface Area of the Inner Cube

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The formula to find the surface area of a square is (Side Length). However there are six

square faces on a cube so the surface area formula for a cube is (Side Length) multiplied by 6.

The side length of the inner cube is 1.52 in, so 1.52 must be substituted into the formula. The

result of (1.52) is 4.5. This means the surface area of one face of the inner cube is 4.5 in. To

find the total surface area of the inner cube 4.5 ,is then multiplied by 6 to yield 27 in.

Surface Area= (Side Length)(6) Surface Area Formula for the Solid Outer

Cube

Surface Area= (32)(6) Substitute Values Into the Formula

Surface Area= 108 in Multiplication Property

Figure 6. Surface Area of the Solid Outer Cube

As discovered earlier, the outer cube has side lengths that measure 32 in. Knowing this,

32 in can be substituted into the formula for surface area of a cube. The result of (32) is 18.

However there are 6 faces on a cube so 18 is then multiplied by 6 to yield 108 in.

However, there are square holes on all faces of the cube (as seen in Figure 7. below). The

amount that was calculated in Figure 6. found the solid surface area. This means it calculated the

surface area as if the outer cube did not have any holes in it.
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Figure 7. Completed Cube in a Cube

This is what the cube in a cube should look once it has been completed and the inner cube

is inside of the outer cube.

As seen in Figure 7. above, the cube does have square holes in it. Found earlier the

length of the white triangle that is facing inward toward the hole is 1.52 in. This is equivalent to

the lengths of the inner cube. This means the inner cube is the exact same size as the holes on the

outer cube. Knowing this, to find the surface area of the outer cube, the surface area of the inner

cube must be subtracted from the solid surface area of the outer cube.

Figure 8. How the Inner Cube Fits into the Outer Cube

One face of the inner cube is the exact same size as the holes in the outer cube.
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Surface Area= (Surface Area of Solid Outer Surface Area Formula for the Outer Cube

Cube) -(Surface Area of Inner Cube)

Surface Area= (108) - (27) Substitute Values Into the Formula

Surface Area= 81 in Subtraction Property

Figure 9. Surface Area of the Outer Cube

All the holes on the outer cube have the same surface area as one face of the inner cube

which is 4.5 in. Since there are six faces on the inner cube and six holes on the outer cube, the

total surface area of the inner cube can be subtracted from the surface area of the solid outer

cube. This yields 81 in as the surface area of the outer cube.

Total Surface Area= (Surface Area of Inner Total Surface Area Formula

Cube) + (Surface Area of Outer Cube)

Total Surface Area= 27 in + 81 in Substitute Values into the Formula

Total Surface Area= 108 in Addition Property

Figure 10. Total Surface Area of the Cube in a Cube

To find the total surface area of the cube in a cube both surface areas must be added

together. The surface area of the inner cube is 27 in and the surface area of the outer cube is 81

in. Once these are added together, the sum is 108 in.

Finding the Volume of the Cube in a Cube

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Volume= (l)(w)(h) Volume Formula of a Cube

Volume= (1.52)(1.52)(1.52) Substitute Values Into the Formula

Volume= 6.752 in Multiplication Property

Figure 11. Volume of the Inner Cube

The volume formula for a cube is length multiplied by the width, multiplied by the

height. The length, width, and height were all 1.52 in. When substituted into the formula it

yields 6.752 in.

Volume= (l)(w)(h) Volume Formula of a Cube

Volume= (32)(32)(32) Substitute Values Into the Formula

Volume= 542 in Multiplication Property

Figure 12. Volume of the Solid Outer Cube

Finding the volume of the solid outer cube is just as simple as finding the volume of the

inner cube. The length, width and height of the outer cube are all 32 in. When substituted into

the formula, it yields 542 in as the volume of the solid outer cube.

Volume= (Volume of Solid Outer Cube) - Volume Formula for the Empty Space

(Volume of Inner Cube)

Volume= 542 in - 6.752 in Substitution Property

Volume= 47.252 in Subtraction Property

Figure 13. Volume of the Empty Space of the Hollow Outer Cube
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To find the volume of the empty space of the cube in a cube is simpler than one may

think. To find the volume of the empty space, one must first know the volume of the inner cube,

which was 6.752 in (found in Figure 11.). This information is needed because the inner cube

does not count as empty space. Next, the volume of the solid outer cube must be known, which

was 542 in (found in Figure 12.). To find the volume of the empty space the volume of the

inner cube must be subtracted from the volume of the solid outer cube. This yields 542 in as

the volume of the empty space of the cube in a cube.

In conclusion, once looked at from a mathematical perspective, the cube in a cube found

to hold more purpose than to just sit there. By using mathematical equations and procedures it

was possible to calculate the volume and surface area of the cube in a cube. However, when

making the cube in a cube some complications occurred. Not all of the folds may have been as

precise as needed, this could have caused some of the numbers to differ. In addition, it was hard

to assemble the outer cube as it kept falling apart as it was being put together. Since some of the

folds on the paper were not all precise this could have caused the area and volume to not be

exact. In summary the total surface area of the cube in a cube is 108 in and the volume of the

empty space is 47.252 in. In addition. The volume of the inner cube is 6.752 in. Furthermore,

by finding the surface area and volume of a cube in a cube proves that objects can hold

more information than one may think.

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Works Cited