Considering a Rubik’s Cube is scrambled randomly everytime and there can not be one single approach to all the configurations, how do speed cubers solve it in such a little time?
In: Mathematics
First off, using better quality cubes. Rubik brand cubes are shocking poor for speed cubing, even there “speed” version is pretty poor. Various companies have made there own “Puzzle Cubes” that are identical but have much better designs such as magnetic levitation to make turns smoother and snappier and better lubrication.
Secondly, solving a cube is generally done through the use of algorithms, deterministic ways of solving the cube. Solving the cube is typically done using a method called CFOP. In this, first you form a Cross on one of the sides, than you solve the First two layers. Those can be done purely visually, and most cubers can learn to do it intuitively. The last two steps, Orientation and Permutation of the last layer (shortened to OLL and PLL), are generally done using algorithms. First during orientation, we make the top side of the cube solved, but the edges of that layer not yet solved. There are 57 possible orientations of pieces after doing the first two steps. If you memorize all 57 possible algorithms to solve for the OLL, you can solve it at a glance. After, PLL will solve the cube and there are only 21 possible cases. Learn all 21, and with 78 total algorithms memorized and you can solve the cube INCREDIBLY fast.
Third of course, is practice. A lot of it. Using simplified versions of CFOP, you can easily get times down. My fastest with beginner methods was around 90 seconds which is pretty slow, but you can easily get faster. Start learning the algorithms, get better at the first two steps, and your time will slowly fall.
Latest Answers