Often people wonder how to learn how to solve a Rubik's Cube and then how to increase the speed of its assembly, because many professional athletes solve it in just 7-10 seconds. 80% of them complete the task in 12 seconds.
Here it becomes clear that there is something more behind skill and experience: talent, skill, formulas, system?
All professional athletes in speed cubing (the so-called assembly of the cube for speed) create their own systems, come up with their own unique combinations that are convenient for them personally. But some fans of the sports assembly of the cube went further and created general rules to help beginners in this difficult matter. One of these athletes was Jessica Friedrich, whose formulas are used by many speedcubers to this day, although they were invented more than thirty years ago.
The history of the appearance of the Rubik's Cube
The puzzle got its start in Hungary in 1974. The creator of the Cube was the interior design teacher Erno Rubik, who at that time was still living with his parents. Subsequently, he became one of the richest people in Hungary.
IdeaThe creation of the cube did not come to Erno right away: initially he came up with a special training manual in the form of 27 small cubes with multi-colored faces. With the help of such material, Rubik explained to students the mathematical theory of groups. Over time, this manual took on the form of the now existing Rubik's Cube - with 26 small cubes and a cylindrical part that holds them together instead of a central inner cube.
The exit of the cube "to the masses"
In Hungary, as in the former socialist camp, it was quite difficult to develop individual entrepreneurship. Erno Rubik was able to patent his project only in 1975, while the release of the first experimental batch of cubes took place only in 1977. Rubik's invention received a large-scale development in 1980 after Tibor Lakzi and Tom Kremer became interested in it. As a result of their efforts to promote the Rubik's Cube, one of the well-known American companies began to produce the puzzle, releasing a full-scale batch of one million copies.
At that time, every tenth civilized person faced this puzzle. In the USSR, the Rubik's Cube appeared in 1981 and immediately gained popularity and love of the people. With him, children and their teachers went to school, collecting a cube under a desk or hiding behind a class magazine, he was preferred to any birthday gifts.
Rubik's Cube Variations
In the original version, the Rubik's Cube was a 3 × 3 × 3 system. Its visible elements are 26 small cubes and 54 colored faces. At sixthe central cubes have one-color faces, the twelve side cubes have two-color faces, and the eight corner cubes have three-color faces. When assembled, all 6 faces of a large cube are painted in the same color, while, as a rule, the green face is opposite the blue one, the orange one is opposite the red one, and the white one is opposite the yellow one. This is a classic Rubik's cube model.
Now there are a lot of different models of the cube: these are 2 × 2, and 4 × 4, and 5 × 5.
Cube assembly methods
There are a lot of methods for quickly solving the Rubik's Cube, the main ones are:
- Roux;
- Petrus;
- ZZ;
- CFOP, or the Jessica Friedrich method.
It's possible to get good results with all of these methods, but the last one is the most popular. Let's dwell on it in more detail.
Jessica Method
Jessica Friedrich picked up the Rubik's Cube for the first time as a 16-year-old girl. She became so fascinated with this puzzle that she soon developed her own technique for assembling the cube. In 1982, Jessica won first place in the speed cube competition.
Subsequently, Jessica herself refined the way she assembled the cube, and other people also had a hand in further development.
This is how Jessica Friedrich's method was born, still very popular and used everywhere, thus she made a huge contribution to the sport called speedcubing.
CFOP method by assembly stages
How do you solve the Rubik's Cube using Jessica Friedrich's method?
Own assembly system Friedrichdivided into 4 main parts, each of which got its own name: Cross, F2L, OLL, PLL. So the method of Jessica Friedrich acquired a different name - CFOP for the first letters of each step. What does each Friedrich dice level represent?
- Cross - the first point of the Rubik's Cube, where you need to collect a cross on the initial side of the four edged cubes of the bottom face.
- F2L (First two layers) - the second point of the Friedrich algorithm, here the lower and middle layers are assembled. This assembly step can rightly be considered the longest in the entire process: here it is necessary to fully assemble the face with a cross and an intermediate layer of four side cubes.
- OLL (Orient the last layer) - orientation of the top layer cubes. Here it is necessary to collect the last face, while it is not so important that the cubes are not yet in their places.
- PLL (Permute the last layer) - the correct arrangement of the top layer cubes.
Rubik's Cube Tips
Anyone can understand Jessica Friedrich's system, but only a very patient and diligent person can solve the cube in 30 seconds and faster. In such a matter as solving a Rubik's cube, technical knowledge of the process alone is not enough; one cannot do without skill, some experience and long training.
The main thing that can be advised to a beginner speedcuber is to buy a quality puzzle, not a Chinese fake. The fact is that for quick assembly it is necessary to rotate the cube with onefinger, and it should not be loose.
Also, before assembly, it is advisable to lubricate the cube with silicone grease, which comes with the puzzle or purchased separately, for example, in a car shop.
With diligence, patience and endurance to the knowledge gained from Jessica Friedrich, anyone can quickly learn how to solve the Rubik's Cube.
