<p>wait... i thought you said your program never actually solved one?</p>
<p>No, I never solved one. I think my program solved about a dozen cases( though it didn't solve hundreds), so I just got excited over that. Remember, I was like 11, so I didn't understand very well how I could use arrays, etc, and Greedy Algorithms and Genetic Algorithms it turns out after looking at code were wrong, since I missed a vital step.</p>
<p>4 years later(now) I am writing it again. Actually, right now I am studying how it is solved by hand, and then I aim to write the program on the plane trip to India(going there this summer!).</p>
<p>oh, I see. Interesting :)</p>
<p>My dad had a rubik's cube with four squares' length along each edge, too bad I don't still have it. Some of the stickers were missing anyway.</p>
<p>I have heard of 5x5x5 rubiks cubes. I believe they are called "professor's cubes." The solution is to configure it like a 3x3x3 rubiks cube... It would be interesting if all odd sided have recursive solutions.</p>
<p>I saw that guy with the computer program that simulated a 20^3 rubik's cube. O_O</p>
<p>I can do the cube in a little under 2 minutes ... but not all cubes are alike. </p>
<p>I can do a cube as long as the middle square on each face does not require a single orientation (for example, if there is a logo which requires the middle square to have one and only one orientation). If the middle squares require a single orientation the cube is much-much harder to do ... actually 4 to the 6th power harder.</p>
<p>I learned this the hard way by embarrassing myself at a job interview by showing of a cube that I thought was done but had all the centers wrong ... messing up the company's logo (I did not get the job!)</p>
<p>So for the people here who have solved them, what are your records?</p>
<p>On the note of professor's cubes, I'd heard of the converse, called idiot's cubes.. 3x3x3.. but all faces are the same color :)</p>
<p>3togo, what kind of job interview involved solving a rubik's cube with the company's logo?</p>
<p>haha that's funny about the idiot's cube</p>
<p>i would imagine nxnxn use the same methods as 3x3x3, are they that much harder? (I know the 2x2x2 cube is just corner moves).</p>
<p>stasterisk, a lot of high tech/wall street companies have you complete puzzles now on interviews. I don't like it either.</p>
<p>sorry, i don't keep count. i just do it when i'm waiting for something--a few minutes I'd say.</p>
<p>From what I have read, most cubes bigger than 4x4x4 are simply transformed into a 3x3x3 cube, and solved as usual.</p>
<p>
[quote]
3togo, what kind of job interview involved solving a rubik's cube with the company's logo?
[/quote]
It wasn't formally part of the job interview ... I dug my own hole. While I was waiting for an interview there was a rubik's cube with the company's logo on each face sitting on a table. I picked up the cube and did my thing. When my interviewer came over to start my interview he asked if I finished the cube ... I said yes and handed him the cube ... not noticing that all the centers squares were in the wrong orientation ... whoops! (I think this actually helped my chances as we then had a good math geek conversation about the added difficulty the logo added to solving the cube).</p>
<p>My record on the 3x3 is 37 seconds. I averaged about 50 seconds a while ago. I can solve the 4x4 and I've solved the 5x5 except for 2 cubes.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.speedcubing.com%5B/url%5D">www.speedcubing.com</a> has some intersting stuff.</p>
<p>OMG Rubik's cubes rock!!!</p>
<p>My best time is around 22 seconds (not my own method, but have come up with my own that can solve the cube in about 90 secs)</p>
<p>I have also solved up to a 25x25x25 cube--once you get that high of an order, it is not difficult, only tedious ;)</p>
<p>On the above website (one I frequent) there is a link to Chris Hardwick's page, where he shows the steps of solving higher-order (e.g. 6x6x6+) cubes. Basically, you solve all the center pieces, then match up all the edge pieces, then solve like a 3x3x3. If you can do 6x6 and 7x7, and know the parities for even-order cubes, you can do any size. I'd try those cubes out more but my mouse sucks for moving the pieces on the computer applet.</p>
<p>Here's a link to the computer cube site, with records and solve replays, at: <a href="http://www.puzzlingaddiction.com/Cube/applet/%5B/url%5D">http://www.puzzlingaddiction.com/Cube/applet/</a> Do the Networked Cube if you want to save your solves.</p>
<p>As for 3x3x3's with center logos, there are 2 moves that can be used to orient only the centers correctly, can't remember them offhand.</p>
<p>Out of complete boredom, I think I'm going to see if I still have any skillz on those computer cube applets...</p>
<p>damn i thought mit kids would have more clever way then smashing it against the wall or restickering. i can do the 3 in 17.96 seconds best, 444 in 2:15 and 555 i don't really time. this is pretty good to do, it builds memory and quickens your thoughts. i usually cube during physics tests.</p>
<p>it builds memory? How?</p>
<p>Though I suppose that's one could argue it as valid on the grounds that the placebo effect has been shown to improve memories..</p>
<p>Do greater than 5x5x5 cubes exist, physically?</p>
<p>nice times bubbloy! I think my 4x4x4 and 5x5x5 times are around 1:55 and 3:25, respectively. What brand of those two do you have?</p>
<p>As for larger size cubes, they do not exist commercially. I think I've heard about two separate individuals designing and creating 6x6x6 prototypes, and if I'm not mistaken, someone else used a 5x5x5 mod to make a 7x7x7. However, neither of these would be economically feasible to mass-produce, given that the only interested consumers would be Rubik's cube speedsolvers, collecters, and super-nerds like us ;) There's also the issue that, as the order of a cube increases, not only must its mechanism increase in complexity, there is a problem with overhanging corner cubes. I've heard "sphere-ifying" the cube can solve the problem tho.</p>
<p>For the rest of us, we're stuck using the applet I posted a link to above, or a few other crappy applets that are actually convex.</p>
<p>P.S. Just did the 20x20x20 yesterday, around 3:15. My eyes hurt afterward.</p>
<p>I've never thought about cubing before but now i <em>really</em> want to learn. Can somebody start me off with a basic method for a 3 X 3 cube? What are some good websites for these basic ones?</p>
<p>there's some teaching fellow at my school and it took him 26.32 seconds to solve it! he passed a new one around the class, everyone messed it up a bit, and then he took it and asked me to time him. </p>
<p>26.32 seconds!!!! WOW!</p>
<p>conwoman: try this: <a href="http://lar5.com/cube/%5B/url%5D">http://lar5.com/cube/</a></p>
<p>yay, Rubik's cube!! I finally solved it last week, hoorah! though i needed some help with the last layer. It gets really addicting, but i discovered that it is really easy to lose... like now... where is that thing...</p>