Giant Rubik's Cube

How many cubes would be visible in a 12 by 12 by 12 Rubik’s cube?
Exploring and noticing Working systematically Conjecturing and generalising Visualising and representing Reasoning, convincing and proving
Being curious Being resourceful Being resilient Being collaborative

Problem



A Rubik's cube is made of 3 by 3 by 3 smaller cubes - so 27 in total - but only 26 of them are visible.

How many cubes would be visible in a 12 by 12 by 12 Rubik's cube?

This problem is adapted from the World Mathematics Championships