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Math Puzzle for January 2, 2026

by Jeff Smith On In Puzzles | Comments Disabled

A well-rounded Frosty becomes an icy cube Frosty

Alameda Post - A mirrored image of the same boy holding a cubical frosty the snowman and a spherical frosty the snowman. [1]
Edited from an original photo courtesy of Jeff Smith. Please note that the illustrations of Frosty’s shapes are not to scale.

Tristan is experimenting with alternative geometric forms of Frosty the Snowman. Tristan’s artisan hands initially form Frosty with a perfectly spherical body at left.

As a sphere, Frosty’s surface area is calculated at 1632.947849 square centimeters. Next, the same protean Frosty is reformed and retooled with a cubic body.

Ignoring the hats, eyes, etc., find Frosty’s new surface area as a cube.

Send your answer to [email protected] [2] and you might win a Tucker’s gift card.

Last week’s winner [3] was Shelley Dorner with weight = 2,026 kilograms.

Jeff Smith is a former Math teacher and a retired US Navy Lieutenant Commander. Reach him at [email protected] [2].