Smallest number 3 Solution

Thanks for visiting NZMaths.
We are preparing to close this site by the end of August 2024. Maths content is still being migrated onto Tāhūrangi, and we will be progressively making enhancements to Tāhūrangi to improve the findability and presentation of content.
 

For more information visit https://tahurangi.education.govt.nz/updates-to-nzmaths

What is the smallest number which is both a cube and a square?

Solution:

Both 0 and 1 are technically both cubes and squares. They are known as self cubes and self squares, meaning that they are themselves squared and themselves cubed 02 = 0, 03 = 0, 12 = 1, 1= 1.

The next smallest number which is both a square and a cube is 64 (43 and 82).

The easiest way to solve this problem is to make a list of cubes and check each to see whether it is also a square. Because the solution is the third whole number greater than 1 it does not take a long time.