<p>wait… i thought you said your program never actually solved one?</p>
<p>No, I never solved one. I think my program solved about a dozen cases( though it didn’t solve hundreds), so I just got excited over that. Remember, I was like 11, so I didn’t understand very well how I could use arrays, etc, and Greedy Algorithms and Genetic Algorithms it turns out after looking at code were wrong, since I missed a vital step.</p>
<p>4 years later(now) I am writing it again. Actually, right now I am studying how it is solved by hand, and then I aim to write the program on the plane trip to India(going there this summer!).</p>
<p>oh, I see. Interesting :)</p>
<p>My dad had a rubik’s cube with four squares’ length along each edge, too bad I don’t still have it. Some of the stickers were missing anyway.</p>
<p>Oo. <a href=“http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0001CU16A/qid=1117959416/sr=8-2/ref=pd_csp_2/002-9154221-0535210?v=glance&s=toys&n=507846[/url]”>http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0001CU16A/qid=1117959416/sr=8-2/ref=pd_csp_2/002-9154221-0535210?v=glance&s=toys&n=507846</a></p>
<p>I have heard of 5x5x5 rubiks cubes. I believe they are called “professor’s cubes.” The solution is to configure it like a 3x3x3 rubiks cube… It would be interesting if all odd sided have recursive solutions.</p>
<p>I saw that guy with the computer program that simulated a 20^3 rubik’s cube. O_O</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.speedcubing.com/chris/20cube.html[/url]”>http://www.speedcubing.com/chris/20cube.html</a></p>
<p>I can do the cube in a little under 2 minutes … but not all cubes are alike. </p>
<p>I can do a cube as long as the middle square on each face does not require a single orientation (for example, if there is a logo which requires the middle square to have one and only one orientation). If the middle squares require a single orientation the cube is much-much harder to do … actually 4 to the 6th power harder.</p>
<p>I learned this the hard way by embarrassing myself at a job interview by showing of a cube that I thought was done but had all the centers wrong … messing up the company’s logo (I did not get the job!)</p>
<p>So for the people here who have solved them, what are your records?</p>
<p>On the note of professor’s cubes, I’d heard of the converse, called idiot’s cubes… 3x3x3… but all faces are the same color :)</p>
<p>3togo, what kind of job interview involved solving a rubik’s cube with the company’s logo?</p>
<p>haha that’s funny about the idiot’s cube</p>
<p>i would imagine nxnxn use the same methods as 3x3x3, are they that much harder? (I know the 2x2x2 cube is just corner moves).</p>
<p>stasterisk, a lot of high tech/wall street companies have you complete puzzles now on interviews. I don’t like it either.</p>
<p>sorry, i don’t keep count. i just do it when i’m waiting for something–a few minutes I’d say.</p>
<p>From what I have read, most cubes bigger than 4x4x4 are simply transformed into a 3x3x3 cube, and solved as usual.</p>
<p>
It wasn’t formally part of the job interview … I dug my own hole. While I was waiting for an interview there was a rubik’s cube with the company’s logo on each face sitting on a table. I picked up the cube and did my thing. When my interviewer came over to start my interview he asked if I finished the cube … I said yes and handed him the cube … not noticing that all the centers squares were in the wrong orientation … whoops! (I think this actually helped my chances as we then had a good math geek conversation about the added difficulty the logo added to solving the cube).</p>
<p>My record on the 3x3 is 37 seconds. I averaged about 50 seconds a while ago. I can solve the 4x4 and I’ve solved the 5x5 except for 2 cubes.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.speedcubing.com%5B/url%5D”>www.speedcubing.com</a> has some intersting stuff.</p>
<p>OMG Rubik’s cubes rock!!!</p>
<p>My best time is around 22 seconds (not my own method, but have come up with my own that can solve the cube in about 90 secs)</p>
<p>I have also solved up to a 25x25x25 cube–once you get that high of an order, it is not difficult, only tedious ;)</p>
<p>On the above website (one I frequent) there is a link to Chris Hardwick’s page, where he shows the steps of solving higher-order (e.g. 6x6x6+) cubes. Basically, you solve all the center pieces, then match up all the edge pieces, then solve like a 3x3x3. If you can do 6x6 and 7x7, and know the parities for even-order cubes, you can do any size. I’d try those cubes out more but my mouse sucks for moving the pieces on the computer applet.</p>
<p>Here’s a link to the computer cube site, with records and solve replays, at: <a href=“http://www.puzzlingaddiction.com/Cube/applet/[/url]”>http://www.puzzlingaddiction.com/Cube/applet/</a> Do the Networked Cube if you want to save your solves.</p>
<p>As for 3x3x3’s with center logos, there are 2 moves that can be used to orient only the centers correctly, can’t remember them offhand.</p>
<p>Out of complete boredom, I think I’m going to see if I still have any skillz on those computer cube applets…</p>
<p>damn i thought mit kids would have more clever way then smashing it against the wall or restickering. i can do the 3 in 17.96 seconds best, 444 in 2:15 and 555 i don’t really time. this is pretty good to do, it builds memory and quickens your thoughts. i usually cube during physics tests.</p>
<p>it builds memory? How?</p>
<p>Though I suppose that’s one could argue it as valid on the grounds that the placebo effect has been shown to improve memories…</p>
<p>Do greater than 5x5x5 cubes exist, physically?</p>
<p>nice times bubbloy! I think my 4x4x4 and 5x5x5 times are around 1:55 and 3:25, respectively. What brand of those two do you have?</p>
<p>As for larger size cubes, they do not exist commercially. I think I’ve heard about two separate individuals designing and creating 6x6x6 prototypes, and if I’m not mistaken, someone else used a 5x5x5 mod to make a 7x7x7. However, neither of these would be economically feasible to mass-produce, given that the only interested consumers would be Rubik’s cube speedsolvers, collecters, and super-nerds like us 
There’s also the issue that, as the order of a cube increases, not only must its mechanism increase in complexity, there is a problem with overhanging corner cubes. I’ve heard “sphere-ifying” the cube can solve the problem tho.</p>
<p>For the rest of us, we’re stuck using the applet I posted a link to above, or a few other crappy applets that are actually convex.</p>
<p>P.S. Just did the 20x20x20 yesterday, around 3:15. My eyes hurt afterward.</p>
<p>I’ve never thought about cubing before but now i <em>really</em> want to learn. Can somebody start me off with a basic method for a 3 X 3 cube? What are some good websites for these basic ones?</p>
<p>there’s some teaching fellow at my school and it took him 26.32 seconds to solve it! he passed a new one around the class, everyone messed it up a bit, and then he took it and asked me to time him. </p>
<p>26.32 seconds!!! WOW!</p>
<p>conwoman: try this: <a href=“http://lar5.com/cube/[/url]”>http://lar5.com/cube/</a></p>
<p>yay, Rubik’s cube!! I finally solved it last week, hoorah! though i needed some help with the last layer. It gets really addicting, but i discovered that it is really easy to lose… like now… where is that thing…</p>