Cube nets & opposite faces
Spatial foundations for Quest-style papers.
← All countdown tipsA net is a flat arrangement of six squares that folds up into a cube. Once folded, some faces sit opposite each other — they never touch and never appear together in the same picture of the cube. Spotting opposite pairs from the flat net (without actually folding paper) is a pure logic shortcut.
Picture it: fold the net, one step at a time
1 · Flat net
Six squares, still flat
2 · Fold the flaps
E becomes the top, F the bottom
3 · Wrap the row
A–B–C–D wrap round like a belt
Folded cube: E on top, B in front, C on the side. You never see a face and its opposite at once — so you cannot see A with C, B with D, or E with F.
Same colour = opposite pair. A ↔ C, B ↔ D, E ↔ F.
Remember — the “gap rule” (do this on the paper)
Step 1 · Find a line
Longest straight line first
Step 2 · Skip one
1st & 3rd: A opposite C
Step 3 · The leftover pair
2nd & 4th, then the two flaps
- 1Find a straight line of squares (a row or a column).
- 2Any two squares in that line with exactly one square between them are opposite once folded.
- 3In a row of four: 1st & 3rd are opposite, and 2nd & 4th are opposite.
- 4A cube only has 3 opposite pairs. Find 2 pairs and the 2 leftover squares must be the third.
Exam trap — “furthest apart” is not opposite
The two squares at the ends of a row look furthest apart on paper. They are not opposite. When the row wraps into a belt, the ends meet.
✗ Ends of the row (A and D)
Looks “furthest apart” — but they wrap round and touch
✓ One-square gap (A and C)
A faces C across the cube. D has come round to sit next to A.
Worked example — which cube could this net make?
A cube corner always shows three faces that all touch. If an option puts two opposite faces together, it is impossible.
✓ Possible
E, B and C all meet at a corner — no opposite pair
✗ Impossible
A and C are opposite — they can never sit together
✗ Impossible
B and D are opposite — another “same colour” trap
- 1Mark the three opposite pairs on the net (gap rule).
- 2Look at the three letters on the cube option.
- 3If any two of those letters are a pair, bin the option. If not, it could be the net.
Question patterns you might see
Same gap rule, applied to different nets and different questions about the pairs.
1 · Simple — Opposite of a row square
“Using this net, which face is opposite A?”
- 1A sits in a row of four: A–B–C–D.
- 2Skip one square (B).
- 3Land on C. So A is opposite C.
2 · Simple — Opposite of a flap
“Which face is opposite E?”
- 1E and F sit either side of B in a column.
- 2One gap (B) between them.
- 3E is opposite F — the two flaps on the same square always pair up.
3 · Medium — List all three pairs
A ↔ C
1st & 3rd in the row
B ↔ D
2nd & 4th in the row
E ↔ F
the two leftover flaps
For any row-of-four net with two flaps on the same square: the row gives two pairs, the flaps are the third. Three pairs, six faces, every time.
4 · Medium — Which face could NOT be opposite B?
“Marked face: B. Options: A, C, D, F.”
- 1B is opposite D (2nd and 4th in the row).
- 2A, C and F all share an edge with B once folded — they are neighbours.
- 3Only D faces away from B. Pick D; bin the rest.
5 · Trickier — Two children, two answers
Child 1: “A opposite D”
Ends of the row — wrap and meet
Child 2: “A opposite C”
One-square gap — correct
6 · Trickiest — Offset net, pair by elimination
“Two rows of three, offset. Find all three opposite pairs.”
Step 1 · top row
P opposite R (gap Q)
Step 2 · bottom row
S opposite U (gap T)
Step 3 · leftovers
Q opposite T — must be
Q and T are not in an obvious straight line together. They are still the third pair, because a cube has exactly three opposite pairs and the other four faces are already paired.
Coach tip: circle the longest straight line first — it usually hands you two pairs immediately, and the leftover squares are the third pair for free. Then, on “which cube” questions, bin any option that shows a coloured pair together.
Tomorrow (D-18): precise synonyms.
Next step
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