this post was submitted on 09 May 2026
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[–] Ethanol@pawb.social 34 points 6 days ago (3 children)

This is actually quite fun and simple! Even if the problem and my following explanation look complicated :P

Let's look at the three dimensional case. One can parametrize a 3 dimensional cube as the Cartesian product of intervals [0, 1] x [0, 1] x [0, 1]. This means a cube is a set of points (a, b, c) where a, b and c are real numbers between 0 and 1. The 2 dimensional sides of the cube are then given by fixing one coordinate. That is, the 6 sides are

{0}    x [0, 1] x [0, 1], 
{1}    x [0, 1] x [0, 1], 
[0, 1] x {0}    x [0, 1], 
[0, 1] x {1}    x [0, 1], 
[0, 1] x [0, 1] x {0} and 
[0, 1] x [0, 1] x {1}. 

Now we just start in the middle of a side at (0, 0.5, 0.5). To get to the next side we walk towards an edge (0, 0, 0.5) and then to the middle of the next side (0.5, 0, 0.5). We iterate this process until we run out of sides with a fixed 0, then walk towards a side with a fixed 1 and continue there. That is:

   (0  , 0.5, 0.5)
-> (0  , 0  , 0.5) 
-> (0.5, 0  , 0.5) 
-> (0.5, 0  , 0  ) 
-> (0.5, 0.5, 0  ) 
-> (1  , 0.5, 0  ) 
-> (1  , 0.5, 0.5) 
-> (1  , 1  , 0.5) 
-> (0.5, 1  , 0.5) 
-> (0.5, 1  , 1  ) 
-> (0.5, 0.5, 1  ) 

This path basically spirals around the cube, going through every side only once. Here's a visualization (sorry, I'm no artist :P) visualization of this path on a 3 dimensional cube

The same procedure works on a 4 dimensional cube or any other higher dimension. For the 4 dimensional cube it goes like this:

   (0  , 0.5, 0.5, 0.5)
-> (0  , 0  , 0.5, 0.5) 
-> (0.5, 0  , 0.5, 0.5) 
-> (0.5, 0  , 0  , 0.5) 
-> ...
-> (0.5, 0.5, 0.5, 0  )
-> (1  , 0.5, 0.5, 0  )
-> (1  , 0.5, 0.5, 0.5)
-> (1  , 1  , 0.5, 0.5)
-> ...
-> (0.5, 0.5, 0.5, 1  )

This works for arbitrary dimension except for the 1 dimensional cube (which is just a line) because the "sides" there are the two end points of the line and not connected at all. Additionally note, that it is never specified how edges count in this problem, whether they somehow count towards a face or whether you're allowed to go back and fourth on edges. You could technically only walk along edges and step into the sides every now and then.

[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.cafe 50 points 6 days ago

You owe me $14.50 for reading that.

[–] Obi@sopuli.xyz 5 points 6 days ago

I skipped all the blabla and looked at the drawing and was pleased to see the path I started visualising in my head was exactly like that. I do think I would've needed a cube in my hands to confirm it, or a bit longer thinking about it instead to complete it.

[–] Olhonestjim@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago

I don't usually do this, but I'm gonna go out on a limb and say this didn't happen.

[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.cafe 15 points 6 days ago

At $14.50 per hour, he's going to take the shortest route.

[–] spicehoarder@lemmy.zip 6 points 6 days ago

Am I fucking stupid? Just walk in a shallow spiral?

[–] pennomi@lemmy.world 91 points 1 week ago (11 children)

Every cube is four dimensional, assuming time as the fourth dimension. So it would travel forward in time at a relatively constant rate (since ants don’t typically walk at relativistic speeds [citation needed]) and it would traverse the other three dimensions in normal ant ways.

[–] adj16@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Unfortunately I don’t think this is true. Every 3D face is the intersection of a 2D plane with the upper and lower bounds of the 3rd dimension. So I think a hypercube “face” would be every 3D “plane” at both the very start time AND the very end time. Meaning the ant would need to immediately accelerate to light speed - so no time would pass - and then (otherwise) normally traverse the faces, wait until the end time, and then repeat the process in reverse (still at light speed).

[–] deft@lemmy.wtf 86 points 1 week ago

Damnnn bro. They gonna start you at $15 with that kinda mind.

[–] ZoteTheMighty@lemmy.zip 17 points 1 week ago

If the ant can only move a single direction in time, it cannot reach all the time corners. Every corner in 3 dimensional space has a twin corner, at the beginning and end of time. Since the ant can only walk forward in time, it will only reach 2 4D corners, where it started, and where it ended.

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[–] bitteroldcoot@piefed.social 67 points 1 week ago (1 children)

This is a lot like when Boston PD was found to screen out all the smart applicants. Sometime the company wants an obedient idiot.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/too-smart-to-be-a-cop/

[–] OwOarchist@pawb.social 29 points 1 week ago

Might actually be the case, lol.

Answer this question correctly (or even intelligently at all) and your application is rejected.

[–] Eggymatrix@sh.itjust.works 43 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

This is a direct appliacation of the hairy ball theorem.

I ain't even kidding

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hairy_ball_theorem

[–] FishFace@piefed.social 42 points 1 week ago (5 children)

Hairy ball theorem applies to even-dimensional spheres (the ordinary sphere is the 2D surface of the 3D solid), but a cube in four-dimensional space is a three-dimensional surface, so it doesn't apply.

This is a question about graph theory, not topology; it's asking for a Hamiltonian path on the surface of 4D cube (where faces are vertices, which is different than the normal polytope graph).

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[–] Entertainmeonly@lemmy.blahaj.zone 29 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (3 children)

Four dimensional? That is a tesseract. This is impossible to describe how an ant would even interact with let alone touch all eight cells only once.

[–] RedGreenBlue@lemmy.zip 16 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Once done with the first cube, the ant takes a gondola, going along the 4th dimension and repeats the walk he did on the first cube.

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[–] Akasazh@lemmy.world 28 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Too many people are obsessing about 4d topology in this thread. The real difficulty in the question is the non -deterministic pathfinding of the ant, in the absence of pheromones.

[–] kepix@lemmy.world 22 points 1 week ago (2 children)

making sure you cannot solve it, so you are perfect for the job

[–] PuddleOfKittens@sh.itjust.works 31 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Possible candidate responses:

  1. Solves it (too smart for job)
  2. "That's bullshit, who needs this for a $14.50/hr job?" (too intolerant of bullshit for job)
  3. Tries to solve it but fails (lacks self-awareness for job)
  4. Knows they can't solve it so doesn't even try (too lazy for job)
  5. Doesn't understand the question/comprehend what a hypercube is (too dumb for job)
[–] Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world 21 points 1 week ago

Maybe they're trying to weed out all actual applicants because they're hiring the boss' kid.

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[–] MIDItheKID@lemmy.world 19 points 1 week ago (10 children)

Sure. Draw the cube for me and I will plot it's path.

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[–] Snowclone@lemmy.world 18 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

tricky with only four dimentions, but I'd use a Grathenbour's loop with a transverse Z axis movement if gimbal locks are ignored, naturally.

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[–] CromulantCrow@lemmy.zip 17 points 1 week ago (7 children)

Okay, if you can explain to me in detail how four dimensional topology is going to be important to me while I'm stocking the shelves of your grocery store, I'll give you an answer.

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[–] Meron35@lemmy.world 16 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Entry level positions to Gregg's (fast food sausage roll chain) require 1000 word personal statements as part of online applications

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[–] Skullgrid@lemmy.world 16 points 1 week ago

Be glad you got the shitty interview instead of getting ghosted

[–] muse@piefed.blahaj.zone 15 points 1 week ago (3 children)

One does not simply walk into the 4th dimension

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