Nets of a cube

The figure below shows the net of a cube. Its six faces are lettered J, K, L, M, N and P. When the net is folded to make the cube, which face is directly opposite face L? Watch this net fold. The net on the left stays flat, and a copy of it folds beside it. The 4 squares in a row wrap around the cube, and the other 2 close the top and the bottom. Turn it right round, and every one of the 6 faces comes into view. A face you cannot see is still a face. Now open it out flat again, and it matches the net beside it, square for square. Once more, and this time follow face L on both. The same 4 squares wrap around, and the same 2 close the top and the bottom. And right round again, so you see the back of it too. The 3 faces at the back are drawn in dashes. Now keep face L still. J shares an edge with L. M shares an edge with L. N shares an edge with L. P shares an edge with L. So L shares an edge with 4 faces: J, M, N and P. Every face of a cube is like L. It shares an edge with 4 faces, and the one face it never touches is the face opposite it. Turn the cube, and the one face left comes round. Face K is directly opposite face L.

Your turn. Each of the four figures below is a net of a cube, and two squares are shaded in each one. In which net do the two shaded squares end up on opposite faces of the cube? Try it first. Pause if you like. Take one of these nets, flat, and number the 4 squares in its row 1, 2, 3 and 4. Fold square 2 up. It stands on the edge it shares with square 1. Now fold square 3 up. It goes round the back, facing away from square 1. Now fold square 4 up. It goes round the back as well, facing away from square 2. The last 2 squares fold over to close the top and the bottom. So squares 1 and 3 are opposite. And so are squares 2 and 4. Turn the cube, and square 4 comes round beside square 1. They share an edge, so they are not opposite. Net A shades squares 1 and 4. Net B shades squares 2 and 3, which share an edge as well. Net D shades a spare square and the panel square it hangs off. Net C shades squares 1 and 3. The answer is Net C. Opposite is not far apart on the net. On the cube, those two faces have no edge between them. The opposite face is the one cube face that does not touch.