Solving The Rubiks Cube

Solving the Rubik's cube

The Rubik’s cube is a puzzle very few people even have the patience to sit down and attempt to solve. But it is possible to solve the Rubik’s cube using algorithms. Without the headaches or frustration.

Background The Rubik’s cube was invented by Erno Rubik in the mid 1970’s, when he first made the cube he didn’t even know he created a puzzle until he scrambled it and attempted to put it back. People thought the cube was just that, a cube – another way to teach kids about 3D objects. By 1975 it was known widely as the magic cube; it wasn’t until the 1980’s that it was renamed the Rubik’s cube. The original Rubik’s cube is a 3x3x3 cube consisting of 6 sides and 8 corners, and 12 edges. There are 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 different ways to arrange the corner cubes. With that knowledge alone, and using permutations, we now know that the Rubik’s cube can be rearranged in 43 quintillion different ways, and only one of them being the correct way. The frustration that the cube gives everybody all over the world is no doubt why the puzzle is so famous. The fact being that the average person will twist and turn the cube for about 15 minutes before giving up and calling it quits. But it can be solved from the bottom to the top using algorithms. The 6 steps solving the Rubik’s cube using algorithms only requires 6 steps, but to start there are a few notations that are used to address the parts of the cube.

Terms Front face = F Back face= B Left face= L Right face= R Upper face = U Down face= D A letter on its own means to turn the cube 90 degrees clockwise A letter with an “i” after it means to turn it 90 degrees counterclockwise. IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW The middle pieces of the cube will never move, no matter how many times you twist and turn them; they will stay in the same place. With that being said, the white face will always be opposite to the yellow face, the orange will always be opposite to the red face, and the blue will always be opposite to the green.

The second thing to know is the orientation of which you hold the cube is important. To assure yourself of no confusion, keep the cube face that you fix first on the bottom.

The steps Step 1 Begin by fixing the white face first. This first method is known as the cross method. In this step, it will move the white edges to their place corresponding to their colored partner on the other faces.

 Step 2  The next step is to fix the white corners of the cube. First move the white corner under where it should be and using any one of the three algorithms, depending on its orientation, to put it in place.

 Step 3   The next step is to solve the second layer of the Rubik's cube. The algorithm’s use is to move the front top edge piece and move it to its place in the second row, and doing it without messing up the face you have already solved. 

                  Step 4 This next step is putting the yellow corners in their place, without worrying about the orientation. This will bring you close to the end of the cube.

 Step 5   The final step to solving the Rubik's cube is fixing the orientation of the corners left. Oriented properly, it can take anywhere from 2–4 tries. When that piece is fixed, you can do the same algorithm to all corners until the cube is fixed completely.    

Solving the Rubik's cube can be solved using many different ways; some choose to solve it going from bottom to top, and others choose to go from one side at a time, but each has their own effective way of solving the cube that can be put in 43 quintillion different positions, each having their own tricks of the trade that can be added. Some require more than 6, and others require less than 6; it all depends on where you start and how you go about tackling the task of fixing it.

Some controversy exists about the easiest or the fastest way to fix the Rubik's cube. Some can do it blindfolded, and others can do it behind their backs. But solving the most basic way can be done using the simple 6 step model.

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