dimanche 7 décembre 2014

Some funny and stunning facts about the Rubik's Cube

What's up you villainous weirdos?

Today's article will entertain you and enrich your general culture if you take time to read it! We will talk talk about some interesting records, facts and stories about the Rubik's Cube that you probably don't know. Let's start right now!


  • The Rubik's Cube wasn't initially meant to be a toy

Erno Rubik, a professor of architecture at the Budapest College of Applied Arts, invented the puzzle cube in 1974. Although it’s widely reported that he created the cube to explain three-dimensional geometry to his students, he actually built it as a model which would allow individual pieces to move without the whole structure falling apart. He didn't realize he had created a puzzle until he first scrambled the cube then tried to restore it. After he received positive feedback from his students, he applied for a patent and began manufacturing the ‘Magic Cube’ in Hungary.

  • The original 3x3x3 Cube has over 43 Quintillion possible configurations
The original (3×3×3) Rubik's Cube has eight corners and twelve edges. There are 8! (40,320) ways to arrange the corner cubes. Seven can be oriented independently, and the orientation of the eighth depends on the preceding seven, giving 3^7 (2,187) possibilities. There are 12!/2 (239,500,800) ways to arrange the edges, since an even permutation of the corners implies an even permutation of the edges as well (cf previous articles: when arrangements of centers are also permitted, as described below, the rule is that the combined arrangement of corners, edges, and centers must be an even permutation.) Eleven edges can be flipped independently, with the flip of the twelfth depending on the preceding ones, giving 2^11 (2,048) possibilities.

{8! \times 3^7 \times (12!/2) \times 2^{11}} = 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 which is approximately 43 quintillion.

Conclusion: If you are one of those who try to turn the cube randomly hoping that it will be solved one day...  It would take you 13 million years to have it solved, if you make an average number of 1 rotation per second. So you'd better be very patient!

  • The best selling toy of all times
Okay, one billion Barbies have been sold, but Barbie is clearly cheating! Tons of variations of her are being sold, she's never the same! Whether the Rubik's Cube is with 350 million units the best individual selling toy in history.


  • World record holder is not human
 

This insane Robot above is made of Lego and smartphones, and can solve the cube in 3.253 sec! more than 2 sec better than the human world record of Feliks Zemdegs below, a 17 year-old Australian cuber, considered as the best in the world.

  • 3 year-old Chinese toddler solving it in less than 2 min. 
[source: Youtube]

If you want to feel inadequate, go check out this video of a Chinese toddler in a high chair solving a 3x3x3 in 114 sec in front of cameras. 
Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qO9n3zsdAAc

  • A Cube sold for 1.6M €

Want to solve a 3D puzzle but can’t stand cheap plastic? Well this niche product might be up your alley. Created by Diamond Cutters International in 1995, the ‘Masterpiece Cube’ features 22.5 carats of amethyst, 34 carats of rubies and 34 carats of emeralds, set in 18-carat gold. Valued at $1.6M it’s an excellent object to demonstrate that you have more money than sense.

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And you, do you know any weird fact about the Rubik's Cube? 

That's it for today guys! Don't forget to subscribe and to give your opinion in the comment section below. I'd really appreciate that! See you next week for another article. This was your sincerely yours ID9!


lundi 24 novembre 2014

Creative Rubik's Cubes





Hi guys!

It's been a long time since my last article and I apologize for that. But here I am again! Today we are going to explore the exciting part of my hobby, where one's brain gets really strained. Let's talk today about some of the weirdest and creativest type of Rubik's Cubes. Of course, they are all hardest to solve - to put it mildly - than the classic 3x3x3. I won't ask you to learn to solve them, and to be honest I can't solve half of them, but I will make you discover some cubes you wouldn't suspect to exist. Ready to start?

1 - The Rubik's Cube 2.0


Rubik's Cube 2.0

This cube looks futuristic, and is impressive at first sight. The reason is that all faces are mirrors, with no colors. The only differences between the pieces is their shape. Therefore, the cube when scrambled looks like a huge mess. But the method to solve it is more or less the same as the classic cube.

Impressed? You may be, but you have to know that this one is a child's play compared to what follows.
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2 - The Pyraminx


Pyraminx Rubik's Cube

The Pyraminx is a puzzle in the shape of a tetrahedron, divided into 4 axial pieces, 6 edge pieces, and 4 trivial tips. It can be twisted along its cuts to permute its pieces. the axial pieces are octahedral in shape, although this is not immediately obvious, and can only rotate around the axis they are attached to. The 6 edges can be freely permuted. The trivial tips are so called because they can be twisted independently of all other pieces, making them trivial to place in solved position.
The level of difficulty increases, but the pyraminx is not the hardest cube to solve! 

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3 - The Caterpillars



EastsheenCubes

Even if you've already seen some amazing Cubes, I bet you have never seen one like this one. Take several mini-cubes, and put them together. You will obtain this crazy-looking version of the 2x2x2 Cube. With the cube intersecting one another, it complicates things a little bit. 

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4 - Pentaminx

Pentamix, the world's hardest Rubik's cube


Considered as the hardest "regular" Rubik's Cube ever created. 12 faces, 975 individual pieces, 1212 stickers that each had to be place by hand. It took 75 hours to his creator to build this crazy thing. Guess how long you would need to solve it...


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5 - The Sudokube


Sudokube

This cube doesn't look spectacular, but do not be fooled: this is the hardest Rubik's Cube to solve. To be honest I'm not sure if someone ever managed to get a Sudokube solved. There are so much constraints! The numbers have to be all oriented the same way, there can't be more than once the same number on each face. To solve it you have first to draw the pattern of the cube on a paper sheet, and to solve the sudoku. But it is amazingly hard because first the pattern won't be squared, and second you have to take account of the edges and the corners, which implies that some numbers will always be linked. In short, this cube is insane and will drive you crazy if you try it. 

This was it for today's article guys! Don't forget to subscribe and to give your opinion in the comment section below. See you next week for another article!



samedi 25 octobre 2014

Last layer - Finishing the cube


Hi guys.

Ready to finish your cube? I bet you are!




Here we are guys. In less than 10min you'll probably have your first Rubik's Cube solved.

The last layer is the hardest part of the solving. Therefore you may have some difficulties at the beginning, because the algorithms have to be applied wisely. It's not only about blindly applying an algorithm a case! In the method that we use, solving the last layer is broken down into four steps: making a yellow cross, setting the cross correctly, placing the corners, and orienting them.
Let's start!

                                 __________________________________________

Step 1: Yellow cross

The purpose is simple: you have to make a yellow cross on the last face, as we did for the very first one. For the moment, we don't care whether the edges are in the right place or not. We will place them in the second step! Don't you mind the corners either. Some of them may already be set in the right place, but don't be afraid to remove them, we will set them all later. Focus on the four edges!


The lateral color of the edges is not important!


Two algorithms to learn here, and they are very similar. They are described on the pictures below. To interpret them correctly, please notice that these pictures only represent the upper face, and not the one you have in front of you!


Case 1 :                               Case 2 :                         Purpose       

                      F U R U' R' F'         F R U R' U' F'


TIP: You will always find an even number of yellow edges on the upper face : 0,2 or 4. This can be mathematically proofed. Therefore, the 2 cases above are the only one you have to remember! If none of the yellow edges are on top, just do the two algorithms in a row to complete your cross. If 4 edges are already on top, that means your cross is already done! 


Step 2 : Placing the cross

The purpose is to match the cross with the corresponding lateral faces :


You will have to move the edges to put them in the right place, but without breaking up the cross. Therefore, we will use an algorithm that make the edges switch places. We will apply this algorithm until the cross is correct. 
Here is how the algorithm works. The edge in front of you will stay in place, and the three others will turn clockwise, like this :



Rubik's cube: la troisième couronne


R U2 R' U' R U' R'  (*)

(*) U2 = U U

TIP: Try to be clever in order to gain time! Turn the upper face wisely until an edge is correctly placed, and then apply the algorithm with the correct edge in front of you. Try to anticipate the result of the algorithm, this will save you from doing it a hundred times for nothing. With practice you'll notice that it is possible to do it in one!


Step 3: Placing the corners

The purpose of this step is to put all the corners in the right place: the yellow/red/green corner between the yellow, the red and the green faces, etc. But we will not mind the orientation of the corners. Therefore, this is a correctly-placed corner : 

Rubik's cube: la troisieme couronne

The algorithm that we use works the same as the previous one. It will make the corner in front of you on the right stay in place, and the three others turn clockwise:

 Rubik's cube: la troisième couronne

L' U R U' L U R' U'

Apply the algorithm until your corners are all in the right place!

TIP: You will have to think a lot to complete this step. Anticipate! It is always possible to set the four corners with just two wisely-applied algorithms. 


Step 4 : Orienting the corners

Here we are, last step! Your heart should be beating right now, we're approaching the end of it. 

In this last step, there is only one algorithm to learn. It makes the two corners on your right spin around, in such a way as to put the external color on the top :


Rubik's cube: la troisième couronne
( R U2 R' U' R U' R' ) ( L' U2 L U L' U L )

Tip: The algorithm is made of the one that we learned to place the yellow cross, united with his symmetrical twin. He's therefore easy to remember. Sometimes you will have to repeat this algorithm many times on several corners. It may seem tedious, but it is worth it, because at the end of it, your cube is solved!

                                       ________________________________________


So guys, did you manage to get it done? If yes you did a really good job! 




I sincerely thank you for having read all this, and I promise to teach you faster methods as soon as possible! Because I know that once we really own this method, it becomes quickly boring, because we know that we often repeat the same algorithms, and that we could save time by not doing it. The advanced method that I use is not boring at all, I'm sure that you will love it! 

So stay tuned, and also don't forget to subscribe and to give your opinion in the comment section below. See you soon guys!

dimanche 19 octobre 2014

Solving the second layer

Hi guys! What's going on?

It's time to solve the second layer today. I'm sure you've all waited this moment and that you're damn excited about it. Good thing, because I am as well! The good news is that this step is by far the easiest in the method that we use. To put in a nutshell, you just have to remind one algorithm, reflect a little, and you're done. But enough of talking, let's start!

Reminder: Last time, we had stopped with our first layer solved, like this:


Today's step is about putting the four equatorial layer pieces in the right place, like this:





The first thing I advise you to do is to turn the cube upside-down (white face down, yellow up) so you can see what you're doing.



TIP: Try to get used to this, because in advanced methods, everything is solved with the white face below. This means that we even solve the first face without looking at it!


Now it's simple: The edges you want to locate are whether on the last layer (the unsolved one), or on the second layer but misplaced. In both cases, you will have to apply an algorithm. This one is going to take an edge from the last layer, and to put it in the second layer. The algorithm is  U' L' U L U F U' F', and his symmetrical twin U R U' R' U' F' U F. 


1) Easy case, the edge is on the third layer

Watch attentively which edge you have to locate! Here is a tip: the edges with yellow are not to be located in this step, because they belong to the third layer. Focus only on following edges: orange-blue, blue-red, red-green, and green-orange. Now turn the last layer until you shape a reversed "T" with the face in front of you (here orange).



case b1
   
CASE 1: The edge has to go down left. Usually a F' rotation would be enough, but you would destroy your white face! The alternative:

U' L' U L U F U' F'



CASE 2: The edge has to go down right. F rotation should be enough, but it would also destroy your white face! The alternative:



U R U' R' U' F' U F


TIP: As  the two algorithms are exactly symmetrical, they are easy and quick to learn!



2) Annoying cases, the edge is located in the right place but misguided, or misplaced in the second layer 


 
OR

In this case, you just have to use your brain! You just saw that the algorithm above enables you to put an edge from the last layer to the second layer. 
Therefore, you just have to make the corresponding algorithm, to put an edge "lambda" in place of the edge you want to locate. Then, your edge will be released on the last layer and you will find yourself in an easy case again!

TIP: Try to be as efficient as possible in order to save time: If you have to release an edge like in the case above, use the yellow edges, because they aren't important in this step. (Yellow edge = edge with yellow and any other color) For instance in the last picture above, if you use the green-red edge to release the orange-green edge, your green-red edge will be stuck and you will have to release it later with another edge. Whereas if you use a yellow edge, it's fine because you still have your green-red edge on the top, waiting to be put in. Or better, use directly the red-blue edge if it's available!


If you have carefully followed my instructions, your second layer should be over. If you managed to do it, I congratulate you. Only the last layer remaining, and you will have finished your Rubik's Cube! 

Alright, that's it for today's article, don't forget to subscribe and to give your opinion in the comment section below. Also, check out the new article next week, I will do my best to explain to you guys the solving of the last layer, which is not a small matter! Anyway, have a good day guys, this was Thibault Kremer, live from blogger.com! See you next week!



mardi 14 octobre 2014

Beginning to solve a 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube



What's up guys?

Today is a great day, for me and for you Rubik's Cube fans. It's time to begin to solve the thing! This is my first how-to article, so my explanations may not be as clear as I would like them to be, but I will try to do my best. We are first going to learn the basic moves and their notations. Then we will try to solve the first face, which is not as easy as it seems!

First of all, I'm going to describe the method we will use to solve the cube. The method is probably the easiest, ideal for beginners! This consists of solving the cube, layer by layer. First we will solve one face, the white one. This step is called the "first layer". Then we will solve the second layer, and finally the third layer, which will be the yellow face if we started with the white one. The last layer is the most difficult, because we have to solve a face, without breaking the other two layers!

Now it's time to learn the moves to use to solve the cube! But first you have to know that the cube is made of 6 centers, 12 edges which are the duo-coloured pieces, and 8 corners, which are the tri-coloured pieces. Each piece has one and only one spot to be put in. A first tip I can give you is that no matter the moves you make, the centers will always be at the same place! Let me explain myself: if you have the yellow center in front of you, and the red one down, you will always have the orange up, the blue on the right, the green on the left, and the white on the back. Therefore we will always use the centers as referential: when I talk about "the yellow face", I talk about the face where the yellow center is, whatever the other pieces of this face are.

On the picture below you can see the 6 basics moves that we will use to solve the cube. Here, you have the yellow face in front of you.


R (Right), U (Up) and L (Left) are the most used rotations. F (Front), B (Back) and D (Down) are often used in some advances combinations, but they are hard to do quickly because you need to change your hand's position to go on with another rotation. 

You can do a U rotation by turning the upper face (here the orange) clockwise. Identically, you can do a U' rotation by turning the upper face counterclockwise. The U rotation is often made with the right index finger, and the U' movement with the left index finger. But it's not a problem if you need your whole hand at the beginning!

Similary, you can do a R movement by turning the right face (here the blue one) clockwise with your right hand, and a R' movement by turning it counterclockwise, with the same hand.

I think you understand the principle, therefore we won't go into details here. Let's start with the solving of the first layer.

Take your cube with the white center at the top. At the end of this step, your cube will look like this:

Rubik's cube: premiere couronne




Step 1: THE WHITE CROSS

The purpose is to put the 4 white edges at the right place: The white/green edge between the white and the green corners, the white/red between the white and he red... just like this:

Rubik's cube: la croix

You really have to take care of the centers! Otherwise your edges won't be at the right place, and then you won't be able to solve even the first layer! Example of a wrong cross:

Rubik's cube: couronne mal positionnee



NB: Do not worry about the corners! You will put them later at their place.

To do the cross, proceed as follows: Take your cube with the white center above. Take the other center you want to match in front of you, and turn your cube until the corresponding edge is also on the front face. Here the example is the white/green edge. There are then three cases:

  • The edge is on the right, white facing you:


Rubik's cube: la croix
Apply the following algorithm:
  U' R U


  • The edge is at the bottom, white facing you:

Rubik's cube: la croix

F' U' R U

  • The edge is on the left, white facing you:

Rubik's cube: la croix
U L' U'

NB: If you meet a case which is not listed above, for instance if the white is not facing you, you have to put the white in front yourself, with one or two simple and intuitive rotations.

If you have done this correctly with the 4 edges, your cross should be done! Congrats, your first layer is half-solved!





Step 2: THE CORNERS

There are 4 corners to put at the right place. Keep your cube with the white cross above, and put the corner you want to put on the upper right hand. You can meet 4 cases, here described with the white/green/red corner. Turn the Down-face until you meet one of these cases:
  • White is facing you: 
Rubik's cube: les coins
D' R' D R

  • White is on the Right-face:
Rubik's cube: les coins
D F D' F'

  • White is on the D-face (unlucky you):
Rubik's cube: les coins
R' D D R   D R' D' R

  • Corner is located, but misguided:
Rubik's cube: les coins
In this case, you'll have to do the first or the second algorithm, to find yourself in an easy case again. With experience you will be able to find your own formula for this case!


If you have done this correctly with the four corners, your first layer is over! At the beginning you could think that there are too much algorithms to learn, but you'll see that these little "fingers-tricks" are relatively intuitive and will soon be natural! An also, the algorithms to set up the corners are very important because they appear in many advanced techniques.

This is it for the first layer of the 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube! Don't forget to subscribe, and to give your opinion in the comment section below. Did you manage to get your first layer solved? Are my explanations clear enough? I'd really enjoy reading your reactions. 

See you soon guys, for an article about solving the second layer!

lundi 29 septembre 2014

The Rubik's Cube is not old-fashioned!







Hi guys,

No time to waste today, the situation is critical. Last week I was asking some close relatives about what they thought about the Rubik's Cube. And the results of this improvised survey were revolting. According to almost 90% of the people, the Rubik's Cube is outdated, and knowing how to solve one is pointless. Some of them even say that this hobby is ridiculous. I couldn't overlook this. I had to react. Therefore I decided to write an article, in which I will explain why these baseless criticisms are making me mad, and try to convince you guys that the Rubik's Cube is both a wonderful discipline and also an instructive pastime. 

So, as I said before, a large majority of my relatives expressed their opposition to the Rubik's Cube, and even described it with the unpleasant adjectives that I listed above. But why? Why on earth would people hate the Rubik's Cube so much? This is no nuclear weapon, no disease, or no abhorred politician. This is just a game! Admittedly, a game which requires concentration, memory, and lucidity. So it may not be meant for anybody. Fine, but it is still a funny and entertaining game!
Yet, most of them had never even touched a Cube in all their lives beforehand. Therefore, I would say to them not to judge a book by its cover. Usually, I'm not very affected by what people think, but I totally freak out when people judge something that I personally like, without knowing anything about it. 


So, in order to make you guys like the Rubik's cube as much as I do, I will try to tell you what I find so exciting and interesting about it, and what it could bring you if you decided to try it.
  •   You won't bore in the train or the plane anymore! Your Cube is your friend for life, and you can bring him wherever you want. 
  • The learning part is the most difficult, but also the more exciting! Trying to solve a Rubik's Cube, improving and improving, until you finally reach it... This has no price.
  • Learning is relatively fast: If you don't know at all how to solve a Cube, it will take you 5 min to integrate the basic moves, and then 30 min maximum to solve it with a tutorial. 
  • Once you know how to solve it, it feels so good to make it turn without looking at it, knowing that you can redo it later. At this point you will really feel clever!
  • Having a collection of Rubik's Cubes at home is very decorative, and full of colors! Moreover, there are plenty of types of Cubes - some of them aren't even cubical anymore, but dodecahedron, spheres, or pyramids - it will beautify and customize your room!
A beautiful collection of Rubik's Cubes

  • The Rubik's Cube is a great exercise to improve your motor abilities. It improves the coordination between your brain and your hand, and also the coordination between your fingers. When I started cubing, I could do 1 or 2 moves/sec, and now I am able to do at least 10 moves/sec! This improvement will make your girlfriend happy, for sure!                                 All joking aside, this hobby can also improve your physical and mental abilities, which is great!
  • Rubik's Cube is a mental sport, but also an art. Watching a professional cuber turning and solving his Cube with lightening speed is a visual delight. And it is also very motivating, because every cuber can one day do the same!

I hope I have convinced you guys, and that I have managed to get these disgusting prejudices out of your head. Anyway, I have to tell you that before really trying it, I was not very excited about all this Rubik's Cube stuff. But trust me, once you have started, it is impossible to stop until you get a very interesting level! This little thing is very addictive.

That's it for today's article guys, don't forget to subscribe, and to give your opinion in the comment section below! I'm really interested in reading your comments, so that I can either improve my articles, or keep it that way!
See you soon for next week's article, bye!

P.S: Next week I will do my best to really start talking about the Cube's resolution. I had in mind to start this week with the functioning and the basic moves, but it couldn't fit with the imposed subject. So guys you'll have to be patient, and I will write an article about it as soon as possible!


 See something special about this work of art? Yes, it is all made of Rubik's Cubes!


lundi 22 septembre 2014

Presentation of the blog



 Hi guys, and welcome to my brand new blog, dedicated to the Rubik's cube!

 

 

Even if you're not really into it, I'm pretty sure that you all have already been both fascinated and disoriented by this wonderful puzzle. And also that you are secretly jealous of all the show-offs who like to solve it in front of you. Those people who are constantly annoying you by saying that it is easy, and that you should be ashamed of not knowing how to do it. But now it's time to switch sides, and to impress your friends! I'm Thibault Kremer, and I can solve a 3x3x3 cube it in less than 30 seconds - which may be impressive for you, but not such a great time in the world of "speedcubing" -, and if you take the time to read my articles and watch my videos, I'm sure that in a few weeks you will be a great cuber, and that all your friends will be begging you to teach them how you do it so well!

To talk a little about me, I've been a lot into cubing since last year. A friend of mine had shown me that he could solve it in less than a minute, and I was so impressed that immediately, I took my old puzzle out of the closet and I worked hard in order to beat him one day. Now I average 35 seconds a solve for the 3x3x3, with a personal best of 27, and I'm constantly improving my times, which is very motivating! My main purposes are to reach 15 seconds a solve, and to participate in the world championship one day. Actually I probably could, because the times required to qualify are not extremely low, but I would be ridiculously slow compared to others... My dreams may seem laughable, but I really assign importance to the Rubik's cube and everything that gravitate around it. But that does not neither mean that I'm crazy, nor an addict. :-)

In this blog I will try to affect a large majority of you. For those who don't really know what this machine is, I will explain the functioning of the cube, the main challenges that it offers, and the basic moves that cubers use. For those who are interested, but never managed to get a Rubik's Cube solved - and putting the stickers at the right place does not count -, I will do my best to allow you to solve it to the end, by writing some simple tutorials, or filming myself explaining how to do it. And for those who already know how to solve it - and I know some of you are - I will do some tutorials explaining advanced methods, to make you able to solve it faster. 

If you are interested in it, I will also write some articles about the other types of cubes (The 2x2x2, the 4x4x4, the Megaminx, wich are some very interesting cubes), please let me know in the comment section below! Also, I would be glad to see your comments, critics, and your expectations concerning future articles!

See you soon guys!