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🧊 Spatial & 3D Thinking

Cubes, nets, views, and folding

👀 Views of 3D objects

When you look at a 3D building from different directions, you see different faces. The front view, side view, and top view each show something different.

Counting cubes in a building: Use the top view to find columns (how many cubes wide and deep), then use the front/side views to find heights. Multiply to get the total!

Key tip: From above, a tall tower (10 cubes stacked) looks the same as a single cube. You need all three views to understand what you're really looking at!

📦 Cube nets

A cube net is a flat pattern that folds into a cube. There are exactly 11 different nets for a cube.

Key rule: Opposite faces never share an edge in the net. When two faces are opposite in a cube, they can never be next to each other in the flat pattern.

Example: The faces 1 and 6 are opposite on a standard die. In a net, they must be separated. If you fold it and face 1 is on top, face 6 will be on the bottom — never touching!

✏️ Folding and symmetry

When you fold paper in half, you create a line of symmetry. If you fold it twice (into quarters), you get 4 layers.

Punch a hole trick: If you punch one hole through folded paper, it creates symmetric holes when unfolded. Fold once = 2 holes. Fold twice = 4 holes (one in each quarter).

Example: Fold a square in half twice to make quarters. Now punch one hole in the corner. When unfolded, you'll see 4 holes in a square pattern — one in each corner!

🧠 Practice Quiz

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