Rubik's Cubes

<p>hehe.. how do you think bringing a cube to an admissions interview would go over?</p>

<p>I use rubiks for every size but 222, eastsheen is really good for that. i don't think it would do much since all it really involves is memorizing things other people have figured out. my friend, cory loviglio is ranked 5th in the world, maybe if you are top 10 it would be helpful. i have heard talk of several top colleges that recruit cubers. also, there was this site going around called olympia or something where this greek puzzle maker figured out a general method to successfully make any sized speedsolving cube, i don't know when they are supposed to come out though.</p>

<p>This may have already been said (I don't much care to browse through the whole thread) but if you're looking for a solid method of solving it, do what I do:
Think of the cube as three layers in height. </p>

<p>Solve the top layer - i.e. one colored side (most everyone can teach himself to do that much correctly) - all pieces must be in their CORRECT places.</p>

<p>Then rotate the cube so that the solved face is on top and solve the
middle layer (you only need two algorithms for this; look online)</p>

<p>Now do the bottom layer (corners first, edges last) This may need about 8-10 algorithms.</p>

<p>I do what's called the Fridrich method. I make a "cross" on one side, then fill in four slots of two-piece segments to complete the first two layers, and then I use a total of two algorithms to complete the last layer.</p>

<p>hey.. that's a much simpler and better method than the one I've been using. Man. How logical. <em>smacks fore head & tries it out</em></p>

<p>What do you usually recommend for explaining to curious onlookers? I usually try to show them what I do.. but that usually ends up with me feeling like I don't speak english, and them frustrated with not understanding. Is there any kind of beginners method?</p>

<p>legendofmax, using your method I frequently get two 'badly crossed' edge pieces (not corners) on the top (e.g, clockwise, with blue as the center the "cross" pieces are blue-inside, blue-outside, blue-inside, blue-outside). How do you resolve this?</p>

<p>From what I understand, solving the cube is 3 steps(top, middle, bottom layer), and you have to memorize certain rotations to get one block from one position to the other w/o messing everything else up.</p>

<p>that's what I'm asking, I don't know that specific rotation.</p>

<p>Hey Im new here i found though a search on rubik's cubes. i use a method called the fridrich method. i use it to average about 20 seconds. my best time being right below 14 seconds. just though tyou guyz might wanna know. i also solve the 4x4x4 in an average of like 2 minutes the 5x5x5 in like 6 minutes, something called a megaminx(12 sided puzzle) in like 3 minutes, and a square-1(puzzle which changes shape) in an average of like 2:30</p>

<p>i dont cuz its dumb but someone at my school is going to use rubik's cube as a hook on his college app. i think he's in competitions.</p>

<p>yea i do competitions. the majority of them or in California but their are others about the U.S. and other countries. i never thought about it in a college app but i do know jobs like to see that for some reason.</p>

<p>stasterisk I don't understand your edge problem. Are two edges "flipped" incorrectly? If so there is a simple alg to do that. If two edges are SWITCHED incorrectly, this is not a possible permutation without two corners being switched as well -- your cube is unsolvable if this is the case. </p>

<p>Is it bad orientation (if you turned the edges in on themselves would they be correct?) or a bad permutation (edge 1 is where edge 2 should be and vice versa)</p>

<p>It is a case of bad orientation, involving two opposite edges (as opposed to adjacent, which I know how to solve). I think it's what you tried to describe as the edges being "flipped" incorrectly.</p>

<p>You may want to do this move on a solved cube to see how it works, but here's how you do it:</p>

<p>Hold the cube so that the two bad edges are in the front and back, on the top layer. Focus on the layer facing you (you will see one bad edge relative to your eyes). Do this move:</p>

<p>Vertical-middle layer up, top layer left, Vertical-middle layer up, top layer left, Vertical-middle layer up, top layer left twice, Vertical-middle layer down, top layer left, Vertical-middle layer down, top layer left, Vertical-middle layer down, top layer left twice.</p>

<p>(if you know "cube notation" it's M' U M' U M' U2 M U M U M U2)</p>

<p>Does that make sense? This move will flip two edges. If you want me to make a movie for you showing you how to do it, I can do that too.</p>

<p>I believe that's called Rubik's Move, right?</p>

<p>legendofmax, i find it pretty amazing that as a rusty speedcuber you can still average to beat the world record, do you have a hundredths digit on that number.</p>

<p>Which number are you referring to? I mean plenty of people have speedsolved the cube in amazing fast times like 6-7 seconds but in such cases they are considered "lucky", or scrambled in a way such that it hardly takes any moves to solve. Usually nobody will argue with your average if you scramble your cube with like 24 moves or so, occasionally giving the cube a random toss. Solving the cube 10 times and getting an average, using this scrambling method, I think is the best way to gauge your skill.</p>

<p>My best average was about 13.5 seconds or something along those lines about a year or so ago, and then it slipped to around 14.5, 17, and now I am kind of afraid to see what it is lol. If you don't practice you tend to get slower real fast. Mainly it's just keeping algorithms fresh in your finger muscle memory. If I began practicing again I could get back down to that average in a few weeks. </p>

<p>Blindfolding is easy to do if you have an efficient method and a good memory. Dexterity is not so much an issue here as your mind tends to be the bottleneck here.</p>

<p>I just found this thread on a search on Google, and was like, wow, I have been to that forum.</p>

<p>Anyways, in the past couple of months, I have really been getting into speedcubing. Check out my webpage at <a href="http://www.pjk.has.it%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.pjk.has.it&lt;/a> and on the left there is a Rubiks section. Also check out the Rubiks Forum at <a href="http://www.rubiks.has.it%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.rubiks.has.it&lt;/a> . I can average under 35 seconds since Feb. 22 or so. By the end of the summer hopefully sub 25 or even sub 20. The cube is addicting! I can solve the 2x2, 4x4, and 5x5 as well. 6x6 is coming out this summer ;)
Pat</p>

<p>did anyone see that Asian guy in Beauty and Geek? he was able to do this without looking... i thought that was cool...</p>