Geometry & Figures

Depth · one concept from first principles · step 2 of 4

See the shape after cubes are removed

A shape is built from 1111 unit cubes. After the 33 red cubes are taken away, draw what it looks like from the front and from the side.

front side front side
Geometry
Your answer
How to solve
Strategy Organize Information in More Ways — Drawing from the picture invites mistakes, because cubes hide behind cubes. Write the stack heights into a top view instead, take the three cubes off there, and each view is then just the biggest number along a row or a column.
1STEP 1

Take the three cubes off the counts

Each red cube is the top of its stack, so its cell's number drops by one -- and the stack of one at row 1 column 3 empties.

3 - 1 = 2, 2 - 1 = 1, 1 - 1 = 0
2STEP 2

Read the front view down the columns

From the front, one column of the top view lines up behind itself, so only the tallest stack in that column shows.

3 - 0 = 3, 2 - 0 = 2
3STEP 3

Read the side view along the rows

From the right, a row lines up behind itself, and the front row appears leftmost.

1 + 0 = 1, 1 + 0 = 1, 3 + 0 = 3
4STEP 4

Check against the total

The counts left should add to the eleven cubes minus the three taken away.

11 - 3 = 8
Answer
Front: columns 3, 2 and 0 high. Side: columns 1, 1 and 3 high, front to back.
Both views must agree on the tallest stack: the front view's tallest is 3 and so is the side view's, which is the height of the row 1 column 1 stack.
Takeaway

Write the heights into the top view first -- then each view is just the biggest number along a line.

  • Take the three cubes off the counts
  • Read the front view down the columns
  • Read the side view along the rows
  • Check against the total
Where next?
Another one like thissuggested

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