How to Solve a Rubik’s Cube Part I

[Rikaninja]

How to Solve a Rubik’s Cube Part I

The Rubik’s Cube, a modern day puzzle that troubles people all over the world. Well I’m going to attempt to teach you how to solve this modern day mystery. Warning, that this is obviously going to be a rather long post. Now before I can tell you anything I must teach you the notation. Because if you don’t understand the notation then you won’t understand anything I say.
Okay, so here it is:

R: Turn Right Face Clockwise
R’: Turn Right Face Anti-Clockwise
L: Turn Left Face Clockwise
L’: Turn Left Face Anti-Clockwise
D: Turn Bottom Face Clockwise
D’: Turn Bottom Face Anti-Clockwise
U: Turn Top Face Clockwise
U’: Turn Top Face Anti-Clockwise
F: Turn Front Face Clockwise
F’: Turn Front Face Anti-Clockwise
As you can see ‘ represents anti-clockwise and no ‘ means clockwise.

So let’s get started!
The first step to solve the Rubik’s Cube is to choose a colour (here I’ll choose blue) and make the plus sign (a cross) on that coloured face. Always remember that when the centre square on a face is a certain colour then the face must be that colour, as no matter what you do you can’t change the middle piece. When placing in the pieces to make the cross it can’t be any blue piece. Say you want to place in the blue piece on the right of the cube. You will have a look at the centre piece of the right. That will determine the colour of that face, and with this information you will know what piece to place there. Say that side was red, you would have to find the blue and red piece as that is the piece that belongs there.

Now to actually place in piece in the correct spot you must have the blue side facing up. Then get the correct blue and red piece underneath the space you need to insert it in. Now do the following step: [F F]. The piece will slot into place. Using this method you should be able to successfully create a plus sign (the cross).

The next step is probably the hardest but more fun step in Part I of solving a Rubik’s Cube. Getting the corners in place. Just like making the cross you have to insert the correct corners pieces into the correct places. Obviously you would do this my having a look at what the surrounding faces are. Say they are yellow and orange then you would find the blue, yellow and orange corner piece. You would then move it underneath the place it’s supposed to go and do the following algorithm. Algorithms are a series of moves that will complete a particular section of the cube. And here’s the algorithm: [R’ D’ R D]. You may need to perform this more than once. This will magically place the corner piece in the right spot which was just above and will not stuff anything else up!

Using this technique you should be able to finish the first face (side) of the Rubik’s Cube. And if you have done it correctly, you will have created a T on every face except the face you have completed and top face, presuming you are now holding the already solved side down.

Read How to Solve a Rubik’s Cube Pat II to learn how to finish solving the modern Rubik’s Cube.

Thanks for Reading
- Rikaninja

[Riobe]

Pretty nice.

Although...

[29403]

I have a very easy way, but not as easy as Riobe's way.

http://www.wrongway.org/cube/solve.html

:D

[Rikaninja]

Umm, Riobe.
I actually learnt how to of thatvideo of Dan Brown. That'w why the poist even has the same name. But ti think I tried to make it easier but didn't succeed.

[scythe]

http://lar5.com/cube/
^best guide period.

[PsychoSnail]

http://lar5.com/cube/
^best guide period.

That was the first guide I found for solving the Rubik's cube, but I ended up learning a different method (I can do the method described on that site, though - I just suck at it, though I solve the last layer the same way that method does).
I average around 35-40 seconds per solve now.
I think this guide would be a lot better if it had diagrams. It's pretty nice as it is, though.

Oh yeah, and this program is very nice for solving cubes and for finding move algorithms.

[TribulatioN]

This works quite well for me.

[wedgie]

Hmm, seems to have been shot down quite a bit. If you are going to continue with this then one suggestion I will make is to maybe add some pictures, seeing as they are worth 1000 words and all. Seeing what you are saying is a lot easier than having to imagine just from the words. I learnt from illustrated instructions and I found much easier. ;)

[Rikaninja]

1 problem and 1 proble only. I don't know how to insert pictures. Actually i have another problem which is that I don't have a Rubik'c Cube. Oh wait! I have a Rubik's Cube on this comp. I can just take a print screen.

[Yoshimo]

My fastest solve was 2:26.6 seconds. I have that much skill, and I didn't use a video or picture sequence or a guide or anything!

[wedgie]

You've posted a guide to completing a Rubik's cube, yet you don't actually own a Rubik's cube? O_o

[TribulatioN]

1 problem and 1 proble only. I don't know how to insert pictures. Actually i have another problem which is that I don't have a Rubik'c Cube. Oh wait! I have a Rubik's Cube on this comp. I can just take a print screen.

You have no idea how many screens that will take. It'll take up a page or two, no doubt.
And yeah, a guide on solving a rubik's cube without having a real cube, would bring up the question, Did you just take this from somewhere?

My fastest solve was 2:26.6 seconds. I have that much skill, and I didn't use a video or picture sequence or a guide or anything!

Yeah, it was probably just turned once to the left. ;D
Jokes aside, that's pretty fast, I've never solved one yet.

[scythe]

You've posted a guide to completing a Rubik's cube, yet you don't actually own a Rubik's cube? O_o

I posted a guide and I don't own one. Last time I went over to someone's house I solved theirs, though.

[wedgie]

My fastest time is around a minute, when I was in my speedcubing days. It would probably take me around 1-2 minutes now I think.

[Rikaninja]

Rubik's Cubes have been the trend at the school lately. But the people who bring cubes don't usually know how to solve it. I normally get to solve other peoples cubes and that's the only practise i get. but i do have a rubik's on this comp. Very rarely do i use that though

[Nexx]

This is the guide I used to learn how to solve a Rubik's cube. He has a slower, "easier-to-memorize" version and a faster version, but even the faster one is a layer-cake solving method and thus won't be super-fast. I average about 2 minutes per solve with it.

Thanks for reminding me about that speedcubing guide though. I'll have to take another look at it sometime. I tried it once, but I had a lot of difficulty getting used to the 2x2x2 corner because I've only ever done the layer-cake solve. :(

[darkshadow]

My average was around 1:15 but it's probably dropped since I haven't played around with the cube much recently. Also, thanks scythe33 for posting that as it has a couple of tricks that will probably save me a few seconds when I start cubing more.

[Rikaninja]

The other guides on this thread have also cut down me a 10 seconds on the cubing.

[blackbelmoral]

im REALLY SLOW at 1:45, but i can still do it. [*]better than anyone else in my family
[*]slower than you
[*]i should probably lubricate my rubix cube soon

[Rikaninja]

Hmm, it seems this topic of mine has roused from back in November o_O

I have now got a Rubik's Cube, don't use it much but can solve it at around 1 min to 1 min 20 secs :D

...

[大見解]

ahha (speedcubing tricks)

First off, you should oil it. Like, turn the top face 45 degrees any direction, take a pen, and stick it under one of the edge pieces of the top face.
Then pry it off.
Then with a q-tip, just put some vaseline in it, rotating the top face to get as much of it oiled as you can.
Then, you learn finger tricks.
I go about 45 seconds each time now. (dang psychosnail. You've just made me try to do the cube as fast as you >_>)

I just need a better method for the top and bottom. They're the slowest faces.

[blackbelmoral]

i broke one when i tried to do that once.

[TearsOfTheSaints]

Hey guys. Long time no see :)

I can actually solve the Rubik's cube, and I got all the help I needed from Dan Brown's Universe (Pogobat) on YouTube.

Ever since I solved it, I wanted to make a tutorial of my own, but using his method. So, I made one on Photoshop, well, most of it anyways.
Here's my first page...

http://i42.tinypic.com/nxqedu.jpg

[Rikaninja]

Hey guys. Long time no see :)

I can actually solve the Rubik's cube, and I got all the help I needed from Dan Brown's Universe (Pogobat) on YouTube.

Ever since I solved it, I wanted to make a tutorial of my own, but using his method. So, I made one on Photoshop, well, most of it anyways.
Here's my first page...

http://i42.tinypic.com/nxqedu.jpg

Haha. I should start a contests on the most helpful Rubik's tutorial. Superjumninja is probably the yougest person on the forumsand can solve a cube in just ove a minute. I think that was 1 min 14 secs o_O!