TED-Ed: Daniel Finkel: Can you solve the alien probe riddle?

The video tutorial explains the development of a probe made of 27 cube modules designed to study a monolith. The probe can self-assemble and requires special coatings for different environments: red for deep space, purple for RH-1729's atmosphere, and green for electric storms. The tutorial details a strategy for painting the cubes to ensure they can reassemble to show only one color at a time. The process involves painting the outside of the complete cube red, then breaking it into pieces and applying green and purple coatings symmetrically. The final assembly allows the probe to adapt to various environments, culminating in successful alien contact.

What is the purpose of the probe developed by the engineering team?

Describe the process of applying the colored coatings to the cube modules.

How many faces need to be painted red, green, and purple for the cubes?

What strategy is suggested for painting the center cube?

Explain how the probe is able to rearrange itself for different environments.