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| '''Rubik's Cube'''™ is a mechanical ] invented by the ] professor, ], in the mid ]. It has been estimated that over 100,000,000 Rubik's Cubes or imitations have been sold worldwide. | '''Rubik's Cube'''™ is a mechanical ] invented by the ] professor, ], in the mid ]. It has been estimated that over 100,000,000 Rubik's Cubes or imitations have been sold worldwide. | ||
| A Rubik's Cube |
A Rubik's Cube is a colored block with its surface subdivided so that each face consists of nine squares. Each face can be rotated--giving the appearance of an entire slice of the block rotating upon itself--so that the smaller colored cubes can be rearranged many different ways. In its original state each side of the Rubik's Cube is a different color. The challenge is to be able to return the Cube to its original state from any position. | ||
| ===Workings=== | |||
| A standard cube measures approximately 2 1/8 inches (5.4 cm) on each side. The puzzle consists of the 26 unique miniature cubes ("cubies") on the surface. However, the centre cube of each face is merely a single square facade; all six are affixed to the core mechanisms. These provide structure for the other pieces to fit into and turn around. So there are 21 pieces: a single core, of three insecting axes holding the six centre squares in place but letting them rotate, and 20 smaller plastic pieces which fit into it to form a cube. The cube can quite easily be taken apart, although this is not the challenge. | |||
| There are 12 edge pieces which show two colored sides each, and 8 corner pieces which show three colours. Each piece shows a unique colour combination, but not all combinations are realized (For example, there is no edge piece showing both white and yellow, if white and yellow are on opposite sides of the solved cube). The location of these cubies relative to one another can be altered by twisting an outer third of the cube 90 degrees, 180 degrees or 270 degrees; but the location of the coloured sides relative to one another in the completed state of the puzzle cannot be altered: it is fixed by the relative positions of the centre squares and the distribution of colour combinations on edge and corner pieces. The colors of the stickers are traditionally red opposite orange, yellow opposite white, and green opposite blue. | |||
| ] <br> | ] <br> | ||
| <b>Figure 1 :</b> A Rubik's cube ''(Image in the PD)'' | <b>Figure 1 :</b> A Rubik's cube ''(Image in the PD)'' | ||
| Countless general solutions for the Rubik's Cube have been discovered independently (see ] for one such solution). Solutions typically consist of a sequence of processes. A process is a series of cube twists which accomplishes a well-defined goal. For instance, one process might switch the locations of three corner pieces, while leaving the rest of the pieces in their places. These sequences are performed in the appropriate order to solve the cube. Complete solutions can be found in any of the books listed in the bibliography. A Rubik's Cube can have 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 different positions (~4.3 x 10<font size="-1"><sup>19</sup></font>), but it is advertised only as having "billions" of positions, due to the general incomprehensibility of that number. Despite the vast number of positions, it has not been proven that any given position is more than 18 moves away from being solved. Many ]s are interested in the Rubik's Cube because it is a tangible representation of a ]. | Countless general solutions for the Rubik's Cube have been discovered independently (see ] for one such solution). Solutions typically consist of a sequence of processes. A process is a series of cube twists which accomplishes a well-defined goal. For instance, one process might switch the locations of three corner pieces, while leaving the rest of the pieces in their places. These sequences are performed in the appropriate order to solve the cube. Complete solutions can be found in any of the books listed in the bibliography. A Rubik's Cube can have 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 different positions (~4.3 x 10<font size="-1"><sup>19</sup></font>), but it is advertised only as having "billions" of positions, due to the general incomprehensibility of that number. Despite the vast number of positions, it has not been proven that any given position is more than 18 moves away from being solved. It has been proven that every position can be solved in 22 moves or fewer; however, no general method for finding every such solution has been discovered (See ].) | ||
| Many ]s are interested in the Rubik's Cube because it is a tangible representation of a ]. | |||
| Many competitions have been held to determine who can solve the Rubik's Cube in the shortest amount of time. The first world championship was held on 5 June 1982 in Budapest and was won by Minh Thai of ], with a time of 22.95 seconds. However, many individuals have recorded shorter times. There is no current official record, due partly to the lack of agreed-upon standards for timing competitors. | Many competitions have been held to determine who can solve the Rubik's Cube in the shortest amount of time. The first world championship was held on 5 June 1982 in Budapest and was won by Minh Thai of ], with a time of 22.95 seconds. However, many individuals have recorded shorter times. There is no current official record, due partly to the lack of agreed-upon standards for timing competitors. | ||
| The Rubik's Cube reached its height of popularity during the early 1980s. Many similar puzzles were released shortly after the Rubik's Cube, both from Rubik himself and from other sources, including the Rubik's Revenge, a 4 x 4 x 4 version of the Rubik's Cube. "Rubik's Cube" is a trademark of Ideal Toy Corporation. Ernö Rubik holds patents related to the cube's mechanism. | The Rubik's Cube reached its height of popularity during the early 1980s. Many similar puzzles were released shortly after the Rubik's Cube, both from Rubik himself and from other sources, including the Rubik's Revenge, a 4 x 4 x 4 version of the Rubik's Cube. There are also 2 x 2 x 2 and 5 x 5 x 5 cubes, and puzzles in other shapes. "Rubik's Cube" is a trademark of Ideal Toy Corporation. Ernö Rubik holds patents related to the cube's mechanism. | ||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 21:40, 6 May 2003
Warning: Misplaced Pages contains spoilers
Rubik's Cube™ is a mechanical puzzle invented by the Hungarian professor, Ernö Rubik, in the mid 1970s. It has been estimated that over 100,000,000 Rubik's Cubes or imitations have been sold worldwide.
A Rubik's Cube is a colored block with its surface subdivided so that each face consists of nine squares. Each face can be rotated--giving the appearance of an entire slice of the block rotating upon itself--so that the smaller colored cubes can be rearranged many different ways. In its original state each side of the Rubik's Cube is a different color. The challenge is to be able to return the Cube to its original state from any position.
Workings
A standard cube measures approximately 2 1/8 inches (5.4 cm) on each side. The puzzle consists of the 26 unique miniature cubes ("cubies") on the surface. However, the centre cube of each face is merely a single square facade; all six are affixed to the core mechanisms. These provide structure for the other pieces to fit into and turn around. So there are 21 pieces: a single core, of three insecting axes holding the six centre squares in place but letting them rotate, and 20 smaller plastic pieces which fit into it to form a cube. The cube can quite easily be taken apart, although this is not the challenge.
There are 12 edge pieces which show two colored sides each, and 8 corner pieces which show three colours. Each piece shows a unique colour combination, but not all combinations are realized (For example, there is no edge piece showing both white and yellow, if white and yellow are on opposite sides of the solved cube). The location of these cubies relative to one another can be altered by twisting an outer third of the cube 90 degrees, 180 degrees or 270 degrees; but the location of the coloured sides relative to one another in the completed state of the puzzle cannot be altered: it is fixed by the relative positions of the centre squares and the distribution of colour combinations on edge and corner pieces. The colors of the stickers are traditionally red opposite orange, yellow opposite white, and green opposite blue.
File:Rubik.png
Figure 1 : A Rubik's cube (Image in the PD)
Countless general solutions for the Rubik's Cube have been discovered independently (see How to solve the Rubiks Cube for one such solution). Solutions typically consist of a sequence of processes. A process is a series of cube twists which accomplishes a well-defined goal. For instance, one process might switch the locations of three corner pieces, while leaving the rest of the pieces in their places. These sequences are performed in the appropriate order to solve the cube. Complete solutions can be found in any of the books listed in the bibliography. A Rubik's Cube can have 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 different positions (~4.3 x 10), but it is advertised only as having "billions" of positions, due to the general incomprehensibility of that number. Despite the vast number of positions, it has not been proven that any given position is more than 18 moves away from being solved. It has been proven that every position can be solved in 22 moves or fewer; however, no general method for finding every such solution has been discovered (See Constructive proof.)
Many mathematicians are interested in the Rubik's Cube because it is a tangible representation of a mathematical group.
Many competitions have been held to determine who can solve the Rubik's Cube in the shortest amount of time. The first world championship was held on 5 June 1982 in Budapest and was won by Minh Thai of Vietnam, with a time of 22.95 seconds. However, many individuals have recorded shorter times. There is no current official record, due partly to the lack of agreed-upon standards for timing competitors.
The Rubik's Cube reached its height of popularity during the early 1980s. Many similar puzzles were released shortly after the Rubik's Cube, both from Rubik himself and from other sources, including the Rubik's Revenge, a 4 x 4 x 4 version of the Rubik's Cube. There are also 2 x 2 x 2 and 5 x 5 x 5 cubes, and puzzles in other shapes. "Rubik's Cube" is a trademark of Ideal Toy Corporation. Ernö Rubik holds patents related to the cube's mechanism.
References
- Handbook of Cubik Math by Alexander H. Frey, Jr. and David Singmaster
- Notes on Rubik's 'Magic Cube' ISBN 0-89490-043-9 by David Singmaster
External links
- Rubik's Cube Art:
- Solutions for the puzzle:
- Unofficial world records:
- Online versions of Rubik's Cube:
- Rubik's Cube Java Applet: http://www.schubart.net/rc/