WAKEshine

Here are five patterns for moving a corner to the top.  The target (where you want the corner to go) is marked with a "T" in the diagrams.  Bring the goal corner below the target (indicated in yellow in the diagrams) as shown below (you can rotate the bottom face as much as you like during this phase) and then follow the moves to the right of the picture.

Continue reading ‘Solve the Top Corners: 2’ »

Hold your cube with your favorite colored center on top.  There are four corners that contain the top color.  We want to not only bring them to the top, but make sure they’re paired up correctly as well.

Top corners correct	Top corners incorrect

You should be able to get the first one or two corners up with no problem.  Make sure the side colors pair up with neighbors.  After you get a few corners on top, it gets a little trickier to get a new corner up without losing the corners you’ve already done.

Try it a few times yourself before looking on to the solution….

Here are the six steps for solving the Rubik’s Cube for the Sunday Afternoon method:

1. Solve the top corner faces
2. Solve the bottom corner faces
3. Place the corners correctly
4. Solve top and bottom edges
5. Orient the middle edges
6. Place the middle edges

Here is how I show the Rubik’s Cube moves.  It’s pretty easy once you get the hang of it:

	Turn the right face clockwise one turn.
	Turn the right face twice.  You can actually turn it clockwise or counterclockwise.
	Turn the right face counterclockwise one turn.
	Rotate the front face clockwise.
	Rotate the front face twice, either direction.
	Rotate the front face counterclockwise.
	Turn the upper face counterclockwise one turn.

There are more that all follow this same style.

These next moves turn middle "slices." To do this, just rotate the middle part of the cube.

	Rotate the middle slice upwards.
	Rotate the middle slice twice.  You can do this either direction.
	Rotate the middle slice downwards.
	Rotate the "equator" to the left.
	Rotate the equator twice, either direction.
	Rotate the equator to the right.

I’m starting a new series on how I solve the Rubik’s Cube.  I have two methods.  One I call the "Sunday Afternoon" method because you only have to remember about four patterns–each of which is easy–and you can use these to leisurely work your way through the cube.  I think it is a fun method.

Then I build on that to make a faster method, using the same techniques and stages but adding some more patterns and techniques.

Before I describe either, let me talk about the cube itself for a while….

Continue reading ‘Understanding the Rubik’s Cube’ »