We'll dedicate the rest of this article to showing you these algorithms, in order to complete the above "master plan" algorithm. These are essentially little sub-algorithms used to manipulate the pieces into place. While the above sounds simple in theory, the process requires you to know a few "tricks," in order to achieve it.
Stage 5 - If needed, move the edge pieces of the "Yellow Cross" to their correct places.You may also get lucky and have the cube already solved, but this is pretty rare. Stage 4 - Once complete, you now need to complete the top cross (aka on the third row).Remember that the middle pieces are always fixed. Stage 3 - Once stage 2 is complete, flip the entire cube over so that the solved layer (by convention white) is at the bottom and start working on solving the middle layer (aka second row) corners.By doing this, you will also get the colored "T's" too when the solved layer (aka the first row) is rotated to match the fixed centerpieces on each "side". Stage 2 - Next, you should solve the corners of whichever side you have chosen to start with.This means the final layer will be the yellow side. It doesn't really matter which colored side this is, but the convention is usually the white side first. Solving a Rubik's cube essentially follows a master plan. See the bigger pictureĪt all times, bear in mind the bigger picture.
Ok, got that? Let's solve the Rubik's cube, shall we? 2. In most cases, the algorithm will be an even number of moves, to first move the piece and then "repair" the locations of any solved pieces in the rest of the cube (with the exception of the first stage and especially the last stage). You will also see greyed-out squares on most images. This just means the block is not in its correct place and its color on the real cube does not matter.įor all algorithms provided, it is important to try and visualize the block moving around, and why the move is being made. This just means that a move is 'inverted', or reversed. Note the use of the letter "i" on some moves. Always keep the cube in this position when performing algorithms, and never rotate the cube unless instructed. These terms are relative to the side of the cube facing you. These are standard nomenclature, and they are as follows (courtesy of The Official Rubik's Cube Site): Letters donate: front face (F), right column (R), left column (L), upper row (U), down or bottom row (D), etc. In the following guide and others, we will be referring to certain moves when revealing algorithms for solving the cube. You will be aiming to move pieces into their correct final position based on these color pairings. This is important to understand and is essential for solving the cube. The colored sides, on a standard cube, are always paired in the following ways: It takes, on average, about 45 minutes, or so, to learn these moves. Some of those who have gone through the grinder and learned these algorithms, or set moves, can solve a Rubik's cube in double-quick time. In fact, this is the very reason that algorithms exist in the first place. You need to know some strategies, technically called algorithms, to short cut the process. It would take you a very, very long time to attempt to solve it through brute force alone. Rest assured this is not cheating.Ĭonsider this, a standard 3 by 3 by 3 Rubik's cube has nearly 42 quintillion possible combinations, but only a single correct solution.
#Rubiks cube timer where you can choose your own picture how to
The best way to learn how to solve one, without spending hours and days trying to work it out for yourself, is to follow some guides or tutorials. Intimidating for many, but exciting for others, the Rubik's cube is a great way to work your grey matter. In fact, it took the inventor of the Rubik's cube, Erno Rubik, one month to learn how to solve his very own creation.