Random post 1

 Random post 1: Solving a Rubik’s Cube


About a month ago, I noticed a Rubik's Cube was left on the table by one of my roommates. It sparked my curiosity and I picked it up and tried solving it. After working on it for a few minutes it became clear to me that I was making no progress. I gave up and put the cube back on the table. But then I looked back at it and decided that I was going to figure out how to solve it. Every other time I have encountered a Rubik's Cube throughout my life, I was never able to crack the puzzle. My mind would usually go to trying to take off the stickers and reapplying them in the correct order. However, this time, I was determined to approach it differently. I turned to YouTube tutorials, worked at it, and eventually solved it the next day. In that moment, I felt a sense of accomplishment, realizing that solving a Rubik's Cube wasn't reserved for super geniuses—it was something that I could do as well. 


My roommate later traded the cube with someone else, so I ended up buying one for myself. I then began practicing a little bit each day, gradually improving my solving speed. Now, I can solve the Rubik's Cube in about four minutes. It's a small achievement, but one that has brought me a great deal of satisfaction and a newfound appreciation for perseverance and problem-solving.


Here's a brief explanation of how to solve it:


1. “Yellow Daisy”: The very first step is to surround the yellow middle piece with white edge pieces. 

2. White Cross: The next step is to turn each side twice until you create a white cross and match the middle pieces on each side. 



3. White Face: Next, you move the remaining white pieces around until the white face, along with the first layer, is completely solved.


4. Middle Layer: Once the white face is complete, solve the middle layer by performing what they call "left and right triggers" until the layer is solved.

5. Yellow Cross: Next you have to create a yellow cross on the top by performing the following move:


6. Yellow Face: Now it's time to move the remaining yellow pieces to solve the yellow side. Use this algorithm to do so: 


7. Match the colors: Next, you need to match the colors of the side corner pieces to look like this:


8. Solve the cube: Finally, once you perform the following algorithm, you will have the cube solved!




For a little more detail, here is a video that helped me a lot: https://youtu.be/R-R0KrXvWbc?si=EuAzjlS-EvetvAVy 

Comments

  1. Angelita ChewFebruary 25, 2024 at 3:00 AM

    Hi Winston! I really liked your post topic and found it a very fun read! As someone who has never quite managed to solve a Rubik's cube, I have definitely struggled to resist the urge to pull all of the stickers off to manually reset the cube. In fact, during covid I struggled so much with a mini Rubik's cube that I found laying around in a drawer that I decided to just break the whole cube apart and reassembled the pieces to solve it. Overall great post! Best of luck in your Rubik's cube solving endeavors.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Rian JagtianiFebruary 25, 2024 at 3:16 PM

    Hey Winston! I just read your post and thought I would drop a comment. I feel like the Rubik's cube is a core memory of a lot of our childhoods especially as we grew up in the same generation. I have attempted many times to try and solve one myself but your post undoubtedly sparked my curiosity in picking one up again and actually solving it this time around. You made the steps super easy to understand and I really liked your commentary -- will need to try and give this a shot!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Emily LeeFebruary 26, 2024 at 2:32 PM

    Hey Winston! I really enjoyed your post! I've been in the dismantle-or-not dilemma before. Your perseverance and success without resorting to sticker-peeling is both hilarious and inspiring. Great read and keep sharing your adventures!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Tina NguyenFebruary 26, 2024 at 8:34 PM

    I can’t believe you said that solving a Rubik’s cube in four minutes is a small achievement! I personally think they’re super cool and anyone that can solve them at all are really impressive. You know those off-brand Rubik’s cubes that have different images on each face instead of colors? I used to think those were impossible to solve because I would try to solve each face at a time instead of by layer. You’ll have to let me know if these are as difficult as they seem, but overall super fun blog post.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sophia TranguchFebruary 28, 2024 at 3:04 PM

    Hi Winston! I appreciate how clear your blog post was! I have always wanted to learn how to solve a Rubik's cube but it has always looked very intimidating and challenging. I will definitely refer back to this post if I come across a rubiks cube in the near future.

    ReplyDelete

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