All about flooble | fun stuff | Get a free chatterbox | Free JavaScript | Avatars    
perplexus dot info

Home > Shapes
Cuboid Diagonal Conclusion (Posted on 2014-09-01) Difficulty: 3 of 5
A 150x324x375 cuboid is made by gluing together 1x1x1 cubes.

An internal diagonal of this cuboid passes through the interiors of how many 1x1x1 cubes?

No Solution Yet Submitted by K Sengupta    
Rating: 5.0000 (2 votes)

Comments: ( Back to comment list | You must be logged in to post comments.)
Some Thoughts solution | Comment 1 of 4
The below is wrong;see the next comment. 

Each time the line goes through an integral x, y or z coordinate it passes into the body of another unit cube.  If the dimensions had been all relatively prime, the number of unit cubes would have been the total of the dimensions, but the dimensions are not relatively prime, as, if more than one dimension is integral at a given point, only one new cube is entered.

gcd(150,324) = 6 = 2*3
     x   y
gcd(324,375) = 3
     y   z
gcd(150,375) = 75 = 3*5*5
     x   z


I've arbitrarily labeled the coordinates as x, y and z.

There are 150 x-coordinate entries (we don't count the final exit). At this point let's count them all, but remember not to count them again at simultaneous integral y or z points.

There are 324 integral y points, but 1/6 of them are shared with x so we can count only 270.

There are 375 integral z points, but 1/3 of them are shared with y. Some of these are also shared with x but none are shared with x alone, so nothing else need be subtracted, and we get 375 - 125 = 250.

The total is 150 + 270 + 250 = 670 unit cube bodies are passed through.

Edited on September 1, 2014, 9:55 pm
  Posted by Charlie on 2014-09-01 17:55:48

Please log in:
Login:
Password:
Remember me:
Sign up! | Forgot password


Search:
Search body:
Forums (1)
Newest Problems
Random Problem
FAQ | About This Site
Site Statistics
New Comments (10)
Unsolved Problems
Top Rated Problems
This month's top
Most Commented On

Chatterbox:
Copyright © 2002 - 2024 by Animus Pactum Consulting. All rights reserved. Privacy Information