Start with 27 small cubes. Now put them together to make one larger cube. Without touching the sides of the larger cube, remove the cube in the middle to leave 26.

(Note: No one may touch the outer cubes or in any way do anything that would move or change them)

Gamer, in Hints, you say "that all the small cubes mentioned in the beginning of this problem are equivalent, but not equivalent to the cube in the middle you take away".

I am imagining 26 cubes which are like wire mesh structures, ie, their edges are the only concrete substance, and can be interlocked, so that a cube, say made of paper can be collapsed, withdrawn through the 'body' of one of the middle side cubes, an reconstructed.

Posted by brianjn on 2003-10-24 20:14:02