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April Fool’s! How to solve the Rubik’s Cube!

Step 1: Choose a color This may seem unimportant, but choosing a starting color is important because it will determine how you hold your cube. After choosing your starting color, find the center piece that is that color, that will be the top of the cube for you. (You may notice that no matter how many times you turn the cube, the centers will always stay in the same place. They are our reference for how to solve the cube.) **Important** Always keep this center facing upwards, it keeps the pieces on the cube easier to keep track of.

Step 2: The Almighty Cross Our first time actually moving pieces, we want to make a cross on the top using our chosen color. In this example white is the chose color and we have lined up the edge pieces (pieces that only have two colors on them), with their respective centers. This process is mostly intuitive and should be done by first locating an edge piece with your chosen top color on it. Then you want to line up the other color on the edge with its center. Finally, you will rotate the other center until it and the edge piece are lined up with the chosen color’s center. (See the diagram below)

Step 3: Top Corner Insertion After we have our top edges in place, our next step is to insert our top corners correctly (corners being the pieces with three colors on them). This step is also mostly intuitive. First, we want to locate on the cube one of the top corners on the bottom layer of the cube. After finding a corner piece, hold the cube so your chosen color is still on top, but the corner piece you have on the bottom has the top color facing you. Next you want to turn the bottom layer so your chosen corner is directly under the spot where it is supposed to go on the top layer. Finally, follow the diagram below to determine how to place and orient the corner correctly. (Remember, your chosen color may not be green, so make sure to accommodate for your chosen color.)

Step 3: Second Layer edges You have now solved the first layer of the Rubik’s Cube! Next we will be inserting and orienting the edges on the second layer. And guess what? It’s a mostly intuitive step! Yay! Your first step will be to choose two sides whose edge you will insert (i.e. red and green). Next you will locate the edge piece that those sides share (the red/green piece) on the bottom layer of the Cube. Remember, keep your chosen top color on top as you do this. Once you have found the piece on the bottom, take note of which color on the corner is facing you. Now, rotate the bottom layer, only the bottom layer until the color that was facing you is lined up beneath the center of the same color. Now, you will notice after lining up the corner with a center, you can see where the corner piece should go. In order to insert it in its correct orientation, make these layer turns without turning the entire cube: Turn the chosen corner on the bottom layer away from the side it is supposed to be placed. Next, turn the side where the corner piece should go towards you (it will be either clockwise or counter-clockwise depending on whether the correct side is on the left or right, respectively). Next, turn the chosen corner piece back to it’s original position on the bottom layer. Next, turn the side where the corner piece should go away from you. Okay, now you may notice that the edge piece is now lined up with its similar top edge piece. Now all you have to do is insert the corner like how you did in Step 3. Repeat this step for each of the 2 nd layer edge pieces.

Brief Interruption You may notice that one or more of your 2 nd layer pieces is not on the bottom layer, but rather inserted incorrectly on the second layer. To remedy this, simply replace that edge piece with another edge piece using the method we just reviewed.

Another Brief Interruption We will now be using algorithms to solve the rest of the Cube. This requires we learn notation for the Cube. First, the notation for which side to turn is represented like this: U for top side, B for bottom side, R for right side, L for left side, F for front side, and B for back side. There are also two different ways to turn a side, clockwise or counter- clockwise. **Important** always determine what is clockwise as relative to the side, not relative to you. Turning the right and left sides away from you means turning the right side clockwise and the left side counter-clockwise. A clockwise turn will be represented simply by the letter of the side you are turning (R), a counter-clockwise turn will be the letter of the side you are turning, plus a lower-case i (Ri). Also, there are different notations for how much to turn a side. Turning the right side simply 90 degrees clockwise is represented just as R. Turning the right side 180 degrees is represented by R2 and a 270 degree turn is represented as R3. These same rules apply for turning a side counter-clockwise.

Step 4: The Second Cross Now we are about to do the unthinkable. We are putting our chosen top color on the bottom! Simply flip over your cube so that the chosen top color is now on the bottom. This is the new way we are holding the cube, so be sure that the cube stays this way. We will now encounter 4 different scenarios on what is now the top side of our cube. One, there will be a small backwards “L” on the top side made up of the top side’s color. Two, there will be a straight bar across the cube made up of the top- side’s color. Three, there will only be the center of the top color visible. Or Four, you will already have a cross, but we’ll come back to that later. Whether you have either of the first three scenarios, you will do this algorithm: F, U, R, Ui, Ri, Fi. However, make sure the cube is oriented correctly before you do this. If you have the backwards “L” scenario, make sure the backwards “L” is in the top left corner of the top side. If you have the bar scenario, make sure the bar goes form the left side of the cube, to the right side of the cube. The center scenario doesn’t have a particular orientation, so go nuts with the algorithm. Use the mentioned algorithm as many times as you need until you get the cross. Occasionally, one scenario will just lead to another after doing the algorithm, just keep adjusting the cube and using the algorithm until you have the second cross.

Yet Another Brief Interruption Occasionally doing the first algorithm will lead to you getting a more advanced step of solving the Cube. If this happens simply skip to that step.

Step 5: The Fish After getting the cross, you will have 2 new scenarios of how the top corner pieces are oriented. One, you will have the cross with the corner pieces on the sides with two corner pieces having the top color on the same side. Two, you will have the cross with corner pieces on the sides without two corner pieces having the top color on the same side. (this can be confusing, but I will demonstrate in class) If you have the first scenario, turn the top layer so the two corner pieces with the top color on the same side are on the left side of the Cube. Then do this algorithm: R, U,Ri, U, R, 2U, Ri. If you have the second scenario, still do this algorithm and you will get the first scenario. After doing this algorithm as many times as you need to, you will have what looks like a fish on the top side of the Cube. Basically, the fish is just a cross with a corner piece also face up. To solve this, simply orient the fish so the corner piece that is face up is in the bottom left corner of the top side. Then do the previous algorithm again. That will give you the last side solved, but not the last layer.

Step 6: Orienting the Last Four Corners After you finish solving the last side, you will come across two different scenarios. One, there will be two corners already oriented correctly, or there will be no two corners oriented correctly. Basically two correctly oriented corners would be two colors on both corners on the same side that may or may not have a second color between them. (i.e. blue-green-blue) If you have the second scenario, orient the Cube so that the two correctly oriented corners are on the right side. Then do this algorithm: R2, B2, R, F, Ri, B2, R, Fi, R. If you have the second scenario do the previous algorithm until you have the second scenario.

Step 7: Orienting the Last Four Edges After doing the previous algorithm you will get... guess what? One of two different scenarios! Hooray scenarios! Either One, three sides of the cube will be solved with the other three having only one piece out of place; or two, the top and bottom sides will be solved, but the other four sides have one piece out of place. In the case of scenario one, orient the cube so that the three unsolved sides are the front, back, and right sides of the cube. Then do this algorithm: R2, U, Bi, F, R2, B, Fi, U, R2. If you have scenario two, keep the solved sides on the top and bottom and do the same algorithm as scenario one. Keep doing this algorithm until

Prologue: Notation of Moves Turning the cube starts off with explaining the notation of how to turn the Cube.

THE CUBE IS SOLVED! CONGRATULATIONS!