.....so the other day, I'm at a store buying something totally unrelated, and while in the checkout line, I notice they have a display filled with Rubik's cubes. I haven't personally owned one since the 80s, and bought one due to a mixture of impulse and nostalgia. When I returned to my house, I opened the package with the intention of spending that night fooling around with it ---- but after seeing it in its beautifully uniform virgin state (all 6 sides solved) I was afraid to unsolve it. Today, I've decided to bring it to work with me. I think I will keep it here since the nature of this job forces me to sit at a desk all day. At any rate - this is going to sound like a stupid question, but what is an interesting way to unsolve a Rubik's cube? I want to create a fun starting point.
Any one remember the speed test they used to do during the 80's - like solve in 8 seconds or something. What they never told you is they obviously memorized the sequence.
I have this wooden cube and it is so pretty untouched that I prefer to leave it alone: (also called Schlangen-Puzzle) Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Yea, back when I used to speed solve, I averaged 45 seconds with a best time of 30+ seconds. The trick is to know a method of solving it and then memorizing a lot of "key" positions. 5 minutes is a shit time for anyone that knows how to solve it. I don't even remember how to solve the cube but I am sure I could BS a solution in under 5 minutes. Looks up the method done by Lars Petrus... he's the guy whose method I used.
There is no sequence that one can memorize to always solve the cube. The cube is randomly mixed up and then the guy solving it has to solve it from there. Basically there is a method the solver chooses. Based on this method, a number of moves must be memorized to solve it quickly. A more interesting way to solve the cube is to solve it in the fewest number of moves possible. The best I done is I think 42 moves. It took me about 2 hours. And the time wasn't 8 seconds but something like 28 seconds. I think the new record is 16 seconds.
There is if it is mixed up methodically (by the same person who solves it) and the sequence is reversed. For a science site doesn't anyone think around here?
You could do this, but I am talking about actually trying to solve without memorizing the sequence to mix it up. Whenever I wanted to sole it, I always gave the cube to someone to mix up for me. Anyone that wants to be taken seriously as a cube solver must know how to solve any cube where the scrambling sequence is not known.
You thought I would suggest they could memorize every sequence?? And then use this to solve in 8 seconds?? No to any one whos studied maths the only explanation is they memorized the sequence they messed it up in (but omitted to film that bit) and worked backwards in these speed trials
No... what the hell are you talking about then? Are you talking about starting from a solved cube, mixing it up, and then reversing the sequence to mix it up? That is what I always thought you were talking about... Forget it.
I apologize for the brashness. The basic set up as I remember it( I was only about 9 at the time): They used to cut from a cartoon or newsround or something. Then say 3 kids with their fingers poised on the cube were given the ready, steady, go shit. Then after a blurr of twisting one of them would present an unscrabbled cube in a matter of seconds. These kids may have played it up but they weren't geniuses. Im actually sceptical that anyone can legitimately solve it at all. The permutations would seem to be too colossal for it to be anywhere near solvable by the human brain. Which is probably why scruffy kids only come forward as being able to solve it and the likes of respectable grand masters dont.
You shouldn't be. Well, no one can possibly solve it without a method. The most common method is layer-by-layer. Usually all methods solve the first two layers in some fashion, but the last layer is easier than one thinks. Generally all the pieces are oriented first, then they are permutated. This is very easy to do and it only requires the memorization of 100 or so moves. Done by the Petrus Method (the one I use)... you really only have to memorize 4 or so moves.