Snake cube

Snake cube is a mechanical puzzle, a chain of 27 cublets, connected by an elastic band running through them. Cubes can rotate free. The aim of the puzzle is to arrange the chain in such a way that they will form 3 x 3 x 3 cube. Its shape is similar to that of a Rubik's Cube.

Variations

There is also a Kibble cube, which is also a string of cubes but has slots on the cubes. There are also many different styles of the cube. It can be made up of wood or plastic. It also varies in colour. Just like the style, material and colour, the size also varies.

Solution

If you want to solve the snake cube, you must do so systematically. You can only start from one end, and you cannot have a line of 4 or more cubes. All of the faces must have 5 of 1 colour and 4 of the other colour, and these must be in a certain pattern. You can find the solutions easily if you take note of these points. Here are a few tips and the solution:

Tips

# The end to start with is the end with 3 blocks, then 2.
# Then create "two towers". If you notice, there are 3 cubes, then 2 then another 3. They can be used to make 2 rows of 3.
# Then all you do it's to coil the remaining blocks around the 2 rows.
# There are many ways to solve the cube. Once you try out the following method, try to find out some of your own.
# Other than a cube,there are many other shapes you can make with the cube, some of them looking like buildings. Make a few of your own after you learnt to make the cube. You have to take note of a few things while you make your new designs:

Advanced tips

# First, you should know that the cubes, at joints, can go up, down, left and right. So some designs cannot be made. It helps to plan beforehand on what you want to make. You can draw your design out. Use your creativity, you can make a checkerboard, robot or even a machine gun.
# Now make your design. Unlike the cube, it does not have to be checkered. If you succeed, skip to step 4. If not, read the next step.
# If it failed,study your mistakes. Mistakes often occur at the end,so you may wish to try to make your design from the opposite end. You can also add a bit more detail on your sketch. Keep trying until you successfully make your design. Study your design carefully, as you could have made mistakes in your planning.
# To make more designs,you could modify your first design. You can twist it, dismantle it then rebuild what you dismantled or reverse the directions at the joints. Like your first design, you can sketch it out. If you fail, read step 3. There are plenty of designs to create. It's up to you to experiment.

Etymology

The name comes from how the puzzle looks like before and after it is solved. Before it is solved, it looks like a snake and when it is solved,it is a cube.

External links

* [http://www.mathematische-basteleien.de/snakecube.htm Snake Cube]
* [http://www.geocities.com/jaapsch/puzzles/snakecube.htm Snake Cubes]