Often people ask themselves how to learn how to assemble a Rubik's cube and how then to increase its assembly speed, because many professional athletes assemble it in just 7-10 seconds. 80% of them complete the task in 12 seconds.
Here it becomes clear that something more is behind skill and experience: talent, dexterity, formulas, system?
All professional speedcubing athletes (the so-called speed cube assembly) 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 that 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 story of the appearance of the Rubik's Cube
The puzzle began 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.
Erno did not come up with the idea of creating the cube right away: initially he invented a special study guide in the form of 27 small cubes with colorful faces. Using this material, Rubik explained to students the mathematical theory of groups. Over time, this manual took the form of the Rubik's cube now existing - with 26 small cubes and a cylindrical part holding them together instead of the central inner cube.
The output of the cube "to the masses"
In Hungary, as in the former socialist camp, it was rather 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 blocks took place only in 1977. But Rubik's invention received large-scale development in 1980 after Tibor Laxey and Tom Kremer became interested in him. As a result of their efforts to promote the Rubik's Cube, one of the famous American companies began to produce the puzzle, releasing a full-blown batch of one million copies.
At that time, every tenth civilized resident was faced with this puzzle. In the USSR, the Rubik's Cube appeared in 1981 and immediately won the popularity and love of the people. With him, the children and their teachers went to school, collecting a cube under a desk or hiding behind a classroom magazine, he was preferred to any birthday presents.
Variations of the Rubik's Cube
In the original version, the Rubik's cube was a 3 × 3 × 3 system. Visible elements are 26 small cubes and 54 colored faces. The faces of the six central cubes are monochromatic, 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, orange is opposite the red, and white is opposite the yellow. 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 quick assembly of the Rubik's Cube, the main ones:
- Roux
- Petrus;
- ZZ
- CFOP, or Jessica Friedrich Method.
With the help of all these methods, it is possible to get good results, but the most popular of them is the last. Let us dwell on it in more detail.
Jessica's method
Jubica Friedrich first picked up the Rubik's Cube while still a 16-year-old girl. She was so keen on this puzzle that she soon developed her own technique for assembling the cube. In 1982, Jessica won first place in the competition for high-speed assembly of the cube.
Subsequently, Jessica herself finalized the method she used to assemble the cube, and other people had their hands on the further development.
This is how the method of Jessica Friedrich appeared, which is still very popular and used everywhere, thereby making a huge contribution to the sport called speedcubing.
CFOP method of assembly stages
How to collect the Rubik's cube by the method of Jessica Friedrich?
Friedrich divided his assembly system into 4 main parts, each of which got its own name: Cross, F2L, OLL, PLL. So the method of Jessica Friedrich acquired another name - CFOP by the first letters of each step. What is each Friedrich cube assembly level?
- Cross - the first point of assembly of the Rubik's cube, on which it is necessary to assemble a cross on the initial side of four edge cubes of the lower face.
- F2L (First two layers) - the second point of the Friedrich algorithm, here the lower and middle layers are assembled. This assembly stage can rightfully be considered the longest in the whole process: here it is necessary to completely assemble a face with a cross and an intermediate layer of four side cubes.
- OLL (Orient the last layer) - the orientation of the cubes of the upper layer. Here it is necessary to collect the last facet, while it is not so important that the cubes are not yet in place.
- PLL (Permute the last layer) - the correct placement of the cubes of the upper layer.
Rubik's Cube Assembly Tips
Anyone can understand the system of Jessica Friedrich, but only a very patient and assiduous person can collect a cube in 30 seconds and faster. In such a question as assembling the Rubik's Cube, technical knowledge of the process is not enough, here you can not do without dexterity, some experience and lengthy training.
The main thing that you can advise a novice speedcub is buying a quality puzzle, not a Chinese fake. The fact is that for quick assembly it is necessary to rotate the cube with one finger, while it does not have to be loosened.
It is also advisable to lubricate the cube before assembly with silicone grease, which comes complete with a puzzle or purchased separately, for example, in a car shop.
By applying diligence, patience and endurance to the knowledge gained from Jessica Friedrich, anyone can quickly learn how to collect the Rubik's Cube.