In this activity, we will learn how to estimate cube numbers and cube roots.

To cube a number we multiply it by itself three times:

4³ = 4 x 4 x 4 = 64

It can be illustrated as a cube made up of smaller cubelets - 4 long, 4 wide and 4 high.  

There are 64 cubelets in this cube.

The cube root of a number is the inverse of a cube.

The cube root of 8 is 2, because 2 × 2 × 2 = 8.

We write ³√8 = 2

We can use a calculator to work out tricky cubes and cube roots, but it is important to know by heart all the cube and cube roots of numbers up to 10.

Let's get started.