Optional Lab · Ages 8–16
The Thinking Cube
Tap a face — watch the stickers cycle. Every move lights up as Math, Algorithm and Code.
✓ Solved — every face is one color.
Live 3D cube
Drag to rotate the view. Each move spins one real face.
The cube — unfolded
U
L
F
R
B
D
Yellow rings show the stickers that just moved.
1 · Pick a turn
2 · Tap a face
Move tape
Try: R U R' U'
Where is the M · A · C ?
After each move, the three bridges light up one by one — math first, then the algorithm step, then the code line.
M
Mathematics
Permutation · cycles
Tap any face. Each turn is a permutation: it moves stickers along 4 short cycles.
0 stickers moved · center stayed fixed
A
Algorithm
Ordered steps
An algorithm is an ordered list of moves. Order matters — swap two and the outcome changes.
sequence length = 0
C
Code
One function call
state = apply(state, move) — the code just calls one function per tap.
apply(state, "R")
Try these mini-quests
1
Cycle of four
Reset. Tap R four times. What returns first — the face or the whole cube?
2
Undo the smart way
Scramble. Press Solve by inverse. Notice: inverse of A·B·C is C'·B'·A'.
3
Six sexy moves
Repeat R U R' U' six times. Where does the cube end up? Why?
Reasonix MAC™ · Optional labs are for exploration — no grades, real thinking.