How to solve a rubik's cube of different shapes. How to solve a Rubik's mirror cube? We understand the puzzle. What is a puzzle toy
Rubik's Cube is an ordinary puzzle, which is visual aid for algebraic theory, suddenly attracted the attention of the whole world. For more than one decade, it has made people who are far from the mathematical sphere plunge into an exciting process. is the best way to improve logical thinking and memory training.
Secrets of the Rubik's Cube
The six sides of the product have certain shades and a strict arrangement patented by the manufacturer. Existing fakes can be exposed precisely by unusual color scheme and different color distribution from the original. Teaching materials always “stick” to the standard design, so it is absolutely not surprising that beginners, using analogues, get confused in the explanations.
All sides consist of a specific set of squares. Their number determines the type of Cube - 3x3, 4x4, 5x5, etc.
The debut model, which was assembled by Erno Rubik, consisted of 27 wooden cubes, identically painted in 6 shades. For a month, the author tried to group the elements so that they all matched in hue. The inventor spent much more time developing a mechanism that holds the parts together.
The classic modern cube consists of the following parts:
Centers - fixed parts fixed on rotational axes. They are directed towards the owner of an exclusively colored face.
Ribs are moving parts. The owner has the ability to see two painted sides. The color set here is standard.
Corners - eight movable elements located at the tops of the product. Each has three colored edges.
The fastening mechanism is a dense crosspiece of tightly coupled axles. There is an alternative that looks like a sphere. It is used in high-speed and multi-element versions. The most complex is the design with an even number of parts - this is a system of connected click devices, which are sometimes combined with a cross. There are magnetic mechanisms designed for professional products.
Fans of the square rebus constantly fight against the clock. To achieve their goal, they not only train manual dexterity, but also study, memorize and bring dozens and even hundreds of different combinations to automatism. This sport even has its own name - speedcubing!
Tournaments are held with enviable constancy, and the table of records is constantly updated. Modern users discover new heights to conquer and confidently strive for them. In competitions, confrontations are often held blindly, with the help of one hand and even with legs.
Names and structures of rotations
To describe the manipulation of the famous puzzle, the creation of permission schemes and just comfort, a special language of rotations was composed. It looks like familiar letters that are designed for a special face and rotation method. The sides are capitalized!
The Russian-language instruction looks like this:
F - facade
T - rear
L - left
P - right
B - top
H - bottom
The world version, of course, resorts to using the English alphabet:
R-right
L-left
D-down
U-up
B - back
F-front
The central elements, like the faces, are called by one letter. The edges have a two-letter combination. For example, FR or UL Angles are described by three - FRU Groups of particles that are middle layers are also named:
M - middle (between L and R)
E - equatorial (D and U)
S - standing (B and F)
Rotational movements combine the letters corresponding to the sides and additional signs:
The apostrophe ' indicates that the turns are counter-clockwise.
Number 2 means repetition.
How does the Rubik's Cube work?
To decide in which direction to make a turn, it is necessary to mentally imagine the clock face and “follow” the imaginary arrow! There are still very importance- W. It declares the rotation of two layers. Interceptions - turning the whole cube. They take place on 3 levels:
X and x' - movement along the "X" axis, coinciding with the turn of the right side
y and y' - along the "Y" axis, coinciding with the top
z and z' - along the "Z" axis, coinciding with the front edge
z2, x2 and y2 are double interceptions
In addition to the generally accepted rules, the manuals are full of slang, names of various techniques, figures or patterns that are famous among speedcubers. Schematic descriptions are also involved, where arrows are in demand. With the addition of experience in assembling a cube, all existing explanations become as clear as possible and are perceived at the level of intuition.
The cap is the color details collected on the edge.
The belt is the colored elements adjacent to the "Hat".
The cross is a figurine of five particles of an identical shade.
A flip is a turn of an edge at one point relative to the center.
Everyone can learn how to assemble an extremely intricate cube, feel the logical sequence of movements and work out the simplest algorithms. Before making any decision, you need to carefully examine the product and identify the same type of particles that will form the Hat. Often the process begins with a white line, although true masters allow themselves to change the trajectory of actions.
Who set the record for the fastest Rubik's Cube?
Felix Zemdeggs is a famous Australian who broke the record twice in 2018. Initially, the result was 4.6 seconds, and in May of this season, he reduced the figure to 4.22 seconds. Also, the young athlete was noted in the period from 2015 to 2017, leaving several current records on the pages of the Guinness Book.
Back in 1974, the first Rubik's Cube was born. When Erno Rubik created it, he did not even think that his creation would become the most popular puzzle in the world. Today, a lot of championships, competitions are arranged, more and more new records are constantly being set. There are many models and varieties of Rubik's cube, and beginners can get confused in this huge and very interesting area.
Sooner or later, every novice speedcuber has a question: “What next? What puzzle to learn to collect yet? Especially for them, we have prepared a short tour of the main puzzles.
Since it is the classic and most popular puzzle, let's first consider models similar to it.
The smaller 2x2x2 brother is much easier to solve, assembly can take a few seconds, but still it is a very interesting puzzle that does not get boring, and you want to twist it very often. If you want something similar to a regular cube, but not too complex, then a 2x2x2 cube is a great option.
Many people continue their speedcuber path from the 4x4x4 cube - the logical development of the three. It is in this puzzle that the basic principles of assembling large cubes are laid. If you have obeyed the four, then any big cube will not be a problem!
If a 4x4x4 cube is not enough for you, then you need a 5x5x5 cube! It has an even more complex structure and a greater number of elements that need to be ordered. To assemble it, you also need to first assemble the centers, then the edges, but at the end you can still expect parity, but already one. To assemble, you will have to be smart and logical, but the skills of assembling smaller cubes will definitely come in handy!
Also, logic will have to be applied when solving larger puzzles, such as cubes, and so on.
They take much longer to assemble, but the puzzles have a similar solution process to their predecessors and all the same parities. Any self-respecting cuber has larger cubes in his collection.
All cubes from 2x2x2 to 7x7x7 are the disciplines of all the largest tournaments, which are held under the auspices of the World Cubing Association (WCA). But there are other WCA puzzles besides them.
One of these puzzles was invented in 1972, even before the Rubik's Cube! - a pyramid, each side of which was divided into 9 regular triangles. Invented by Uwe Meffert. A fairly simple puzzle, but every cuber must have it - this is a kind of classic, like the 3x3 cube! The pyramid has many versions, such as 2x2 or 4x4. For those who have already acquired a pyramid - this is good way get to know something new.
Another fairly simple, but at the same time interesting puzzle is. With each rotation of the faces, half of its elements move: the rotation occurs with four axes parallel to the diagonals of the cube. The world record for assembling is less than a second! A great option for the collection, which will allow you to relax after a hard day, because the assembly will not cause big problems for a cuber of any level.
For those who liked the assembly of the Rubik's Cube and who are looking for new sensations, there is a more difficult puzzle - very scary to look at. But although this 12-hedron looks bulky and incredibly complex, in practice it is solved quite simply, you just need to be able to assemble the classic 3x3x3. Such a puzzle can surprise many friends very much, and you will get quite interesting impressions.
But if you need something completely new and complex, then you need . Square-1 has the central elements blocked, and when disassembled, it's not even a cube - it changes its shape! The first assembly can be quite difficult, but there are numerous tutorials published on the Internet that can help you. This is a great way to get familiar with shape-shifting puzzles, and because of the new algorithms and non-standard situations, the solution will be very interesting.
One of the most unusual puzzles of those that are going to competitions is. The essence is very simple - you need to combine all the dials and direct them to 12 hours. It is not a must-have for a beginner, but for those who want to take a break from cubic puzzles, this puzzle should be considered.
In addition to WCA puzzles, there are other types of hinged puzzles that should not be overlooked and the list is incredibly long: Void, Fisher, Mirror, the Gear family, and much, much more. Now you can choose both a budget and an expensive model, both simple and incredibly complex. Speedcubing is developing, more and more people are interested in this activity, which means that manufacturers will continue to delight us with new exquisite puzzles that you can always find in the store.
The number of types of Rubik's cubes today is difficult to calculate. However, among all the variety, one can single out classic models, with images on the edges, hybrids of unusual shape, mirror and virtual. Some models can be easily found on the shelves of the store, others can be ordered in the online store, and still others remain at the prototype stage.
Considering all the options for the Rubik's Cube, it's hard to believe that it all started with one simple model in the mid-80s of the last century. It was then in 1974 that the Hungarian sculptor Erno Rubik invented, and in 1975 patented a puzzle, which is a 3 × 3 × 3 plastic cube with 54 visible colored faces.
The original packaging of the Hungarian Rubik's Cube, 1982
The Rubik's Cube is considered the most popular toy in the world, which has sold a total circulation (original + analogues) of about 350 million copies. However, puzzles are sold all over the world under more than one name. In the original version, Rubik's invention is called the "magic cube", this name is fixed in Hungarian, German, Portuguese and Chinese. In Hebrew, the Rubik's Cube is called the "Hungarian Cube".
The most popular models of the Rubik's cube
It is worth mentioning that not all puzzles presented are Rubik's Cubes. Some models were even invented before 1974, but Rubik's merit is undoubtedly their distribution.
Unique original Rubik's cube 3×3×3
3x3 Rubik's Cube World Record: 4.59
Record holder: Felix Zemdex (Australia)
World record: 1.42
Record holder: Kevin Gerhardt (Germany)
World record: 22.55
Record holder: Max Park (USA)
World record: 43.21
Record holder: Feliks Zemdegs (Australia)
World record: 1:25.10
Record holder: Max Park (USA)
World record: 2:13.12
Record holder: Max Park (USA)
World record: 35.15
Record holder: Juan Pablo Huanqui (Peru)
Meffert's pyramid (invented in 1972 before the Rubik's Cube)
World record: 2.02
Record holder: Tymon Kolasinski (Poland)
World record: 2.03
Record holder: Łukasz Burliga (Poland)
World record: 8.04
Record holder: Anuar Miguel Abib Onofre (Brazil)
Other types of Rubik's Cube
The following Rubik's Cubes are not as popular, but no less interesting. A true connoisseur of puzzles can see for himself a great option among not the most common models.
Rubik's Cube 17×17×17
Rubik's Cube 33×33×33
Rubik's Cube with drawings
During the existence of this puzzle, which has gained worldwide popularity, many different variations of it have been created. I offer a short article on this subject.
The main idea of such a cube is to use different textures instead of colors, such as metal, wood, plastic, rubber, stone, fabric ... A person can feel the "pattern" on its faces without looking at such a cube and fold it.
So far, this is only a prototype created by designer Hee Yong. In order to make this player play, you need to collect at least one color on the faces of the cube. For example, to start playing music, you need to collect the upper face, and to stop - the bottom, and so on. As they say, both benefit and relaxation
If folding the classic Rubik's Cube is no problem for you, try this monstrous cube called Petaminx. It consists of 975 parts, it comes with 1212 color stickers to stick on its face. Designer Jason Smith spent 75 hours to create this cube. Just imagine how long it will take to solve it.
This is a hybrid of Rubik's Cube and Sudoku. Numbers are drawn on the faces, and you need to add the cube so that the sums of the numbers on them are equal. If you are a fan of Sudoku - this toy is for you!
There are no moving parts in this cube, and all segments are illuminated by LEDs of different colors. To "rotate" you need to click on the corresponding buttons on the faces, and they will change their color accordingly. In addition to the Rubik's Cube, there are several more in this puzzle logic games related to colors, and even a game similar to Minesweeper on Windows.
If the Rubik's Cube is made spherical, you get the IQ Ball (IQ Sphere). Its diameter is 70 mm, and its weight and texture allow it to be used as a souvenir or paperweight. When you need to pause in work, you can take this ball and stretch your mind
There are no colors in it at all, all fragments differ only in size, and besides this, their inner surfaces are mirrored. Folding it at first, oh how difficult!
Translation of the title is mine, free. THIS is called the Irregular IQ Cube. From the state on the left in the photo, it is necessary to fold the cube exactly “into the shape of a cube”. And it's not as easy as you might think...
Another name for this puzzle is Pyraminx, and when assembled, it looks like the Snake game also known in childhood. Someone came up with the idea of combining the form of one toy with the content of another, and the result is what you see in the photo. Very roof-shattering
One of the most popular puzzles of the USSR, which subsequently gained wide popularity throughout the world, was developed in Hungary.
Of course, we are talking about the famous cube, which was named after the inventor - Erno Rubik, who at that time worked as a teacher at the Academy of Applied Arts and Crafts. The first finished prototype was presented in 1974, and a patent for the invention was filed a year later. The puzzle gained such great popularity (by 2007, 9 million copies were sold), which allowed the former teacher to become one of the first millionaires in the USSR. Thanks to this demand, new species have appeared that differ from the original sample.
What it is?
The original has the following characteristics:
- configuration - 3x3x3 (consists of 27 parts);
- edge width - 5.4 cm;
- design method - color.
A special feature was a rotary mechanism that allows you to rotate the faces to make all surfaces the same color. The device of the rotary mechanism is such that when used, the toy made a characteristic creak. True, in subsequent modifications of the product, this drawback was eliminated.
What are Rubik's Cubes?
Considering the varieties of the Rubik's cube, it can be noted that they differ mainly in configuration and design. For example, in addition to the original 3x3x3, there are its analogues 2x2 ("Children's"), 4x4x4 ("Rubik's Revenge") and 5x5x5 ("Professor's").
If we talk about differences in design, then there is a variety without moving edges. This option was introduced by the British inventor Andrew Fentem. Its development has touch-sensitive surfaces and sensors that respond to rotation. Instead of static multi-colored squares, 216 LED screens are used, which change color depending on touch and position in space.
Another curious model is made of dice. This option can be assembled on your own, for this you will need 108 magnets, 27 dice, several clips and a simple tool (screwdriver and drill).
Regardless of the origin (factory or handmade), the passion for this puzzle will help not only pass the time, but also develop spatial thinking.