Rubik's Cube

How to Solve a 3X3X3

Rubik’s Cube

By Stephanie Kim

Introduction

HowtosolveaRubik’sCubeisthequestionthatwemakeourselveswhenweseeascrambledcubeforthefirsttime.Havingbillionsofcombinations,itisnearlyimpossibletosolveaRubik’sCubebytrialanderror.ThereareseveralwaystosolveaRubik’sCube.Here,IwillshowoneofthewaysthatyoucansolveaRubik’sCubeinfulldetail.Rubik’sCubeisa3Dcombinationpuzzleinventedin1974byHungarianarchitectureEmoRubik.Currently,itiswidelyconsideredtobetheworld’sbest‐sellingpuzzlegame.ThemostpopularmodelistheStandardCube(3X3X3).Othermodelscamelater:theJuniorCube(2X2X2),theRevengeCube(4X4X4),andtheProfessorCube(5X5X5).InastandardRubik’sCube,eachofthesixfacesiscoveredbynineblocks,eachblockswithoneofsixsolidcolors(traditionallywhite,red,blue,orange,green,andyellow).Aninternalpivotmechanismenableseachfacetoturnindependently,thusmixingupthecolors.Forthepuzzletobesolved,eachfacemustbereturnedtoconsistingofonecolor. Thesimplestmethodofresolutionforallthemodelsistosolvethecubebylayers,beginningfromthetoplayertothebottomlayer.First,thisinstructionwillgooverthebasictermsoftheRubik’scube,thentheinstructionwillbedividedintothreestages:1stlayer,2ndlayer,and3rdlayer.Intheend,itwillprovidemaintenancetips,andvideoclipversionofthisinstruction.Forabeginner,itwilltakeanhourortwo,evenlonger,tocompletethecube.However,donotgiveup!Ifyoupracticelongenough,solvingthecubewillbecomesecondnature.AlwaysrememberthatpracticeisthekeytomasteringtheRubik’scube.

Definitions of Rubik’s Cube Pieces 1. Center Pieces

‐ Pieceswithonecolor.Therearetotalsixcenterpieceslocatedinthecenterofeachside.Centerpiecesdonotmoveandrepresentthecoloroftheirside.

2. Edge Pieces ‐ Pieceswithtwocolors.Therearetwelve

edgepieceslocatedinthemiddlerow.

3. Corner Pieces ‐ Pieceswiththreecolors.Thereareeight

cornerpieceslocatedonthecorners.

Center Piece

Edge Piece

Corner Piece

FRONT RIGHT

LEFT 1st Layer (Top Layer)

2nd Layer (Middle Layer)

3rd Layer (Bottom Layer)

TOP

BOTTOM

Instructions 1st LAYER

1. Make a cross

1.1  Pickoutanycolorfromthecenterpiecesandsetitasthe“TopLayer”

1.2 Findedgesthatcorrespondtothecentercolorofthetoplayeranda

centercolorfromthesides.Forexample,ifthetoplayerisgreen,findedgeswithgreenandred,greenandyellow,greenandwhite,etc..

1.3 Turnthecubesothatthecoloroftheedgematchesthecenter

colorofaside.

1.4 Turnthecubesothattheothercoloroftheedgecreatesapartialcrossonthetoplayer.

1.5 Repeatsteps1.2–1.4untilyoucreateacompletecrossonthetoplayer. 

2. Set the corners 2.1 Findacornerthatconsiststhecentercolorofthetop

layerandtwoothercentercolorsofthesides.

2.2 PlacethecornerintoitsOPTIMALPOSITION(Figuresbelow).

Greencornerpieceontheleftsideofthethirdlayer

Thecornerpieceisinbetweenthecorrespondingcentercolorsoforangeandyellow.

2.3Turnthe3rdlayerawayfromtheside,wherethecornerofinterestisplaced.Forexample,ifthecornerofinterestisatthebottomleftcorner,turnthe3rdlayertotheleft.

2.5Turnthe3rdlayertotheoppositedirectionofstep2.3Forexample,ifthe3rdlayerwasturnedtotheleftonstep2.3,turnthe3rdlayerbacktotherightforstep2.5.

2.6Liftupthesideofwhichyouhavebroughtdownonstep2.4Forexample,iftheleftsidewasbroughtdownonstep2.4,liftitupforstep2.6

2.7Repeatsteps2.1–2.6tocompletethe1stlayer.

TIP: Theturningdirectiondependsontheinitialpositionofthecornerpieceintheoptimalposition.

2.4Bringdowntheside,wherethecornerofinterestwasatpreviously.Forexample,ifthecornerofinterestwasatthebottomleftcorner,bringdowntheleftside.

2nd LAYER

3. Match the edges

3.3Turnthe3rdlayerawayfromthesidethatconsistthebottomcoloroftheedgeofinterestasacentercolor.Forexample,ifthebottomcoloroftheedgeisthecentercoloroftherightside,turnthe3rdlayertotheleft.

3.4Bringdowntheoppositesideofstep3.3Forexample,ifyouturnedthe3rdlayertotheleftonstep3.3,bringdowntherightsideforstep3.4.

3.5Turnthe3rdlayerbacktoitsinitialposition.Forexample,ifyouturnedthe3rdlayertotherightonstep3.3,turnitbacktotheleftforstep3.5.

3.6Liftupthesidethatyouhavebroughtdownonstep3.4.

3.1Findanedgethatconsiststwocentercolorsoftwodifferentsides.Donottouchanyedgesthatconsiststhecentercolorofthebottom.

APPROPRIATE EDGE

INAPPROPRIATE EDGE

3.2Aligntheedgeofinteresttothecentercolorofaside.Checkthebottomsideoftheedgeofinterest.Makesureitisnotthecentercolorofthebottom.

On the RIGHT

3.7Reassemblethedisplacedcorneredgeofthe1stlayerbyrepeatingsteps2.3–2.6.

3.8Repeatsteps3.1–3.7tocompletethe2ndlayer.

TIP: Theturningdirectiondependsontheinitialpositionoftheedgepiece.

3rd LAYER

4. Make a cross

4.1 Flipthecubesothatthe3rdlayerisfacingthetop.

4.2 Checkthe3rdlayer.Seeifitisinaformofadot,L‐shape,line,orcross.

4.3 Setthecubeinacorrectposition. Dot:Positiondoesnotmatter L‐Shape:OneoftheLedgesmustfacetowardsyou,andthe

othertotheright Line: Mustbehorizontal Cross: Youmayskipthisstep

DOT L-SHAPE LINE

TIP: Fromnowonwhenyouareturningthecube,makesureyoumaintaintheinitialposition.Forinstance,ifthewhitesideisfacingtowardyou,thewhitesideshouldstillfaceyouwheneveryouprecedethedirections

4.3Setthecubeinacorrectposition.

4.10Repeatsteps4.1–4.8toformacrossonthe3rdlayer.

4.4TurntheFrontsidetotheright.

4.5LiftuptheRightside.

4.6TurntheToptotheclockwise.

4.7BringdowntheRightside.

4.8TurntheToptothecounterclockwise.

4.9TurntheFrontsidetotheleft.

5. Match the edges

5.2Setthecubesothatoneoftheunalignededgesfacesyouandtheothertowardstheright.

5.3LiftuptheRightside.

5.1Turnthe3rdlayeruntilyouhavealignedmorethantwoedgeswiththecentercolorofthesides.

5.4Spinthe3rdlayertotheclockwisetwice.

X2

5.5BringdowntheRightside.

5.6Turnthe3rdlayertothecounterclockwiseonce.

5.7LiftuptheRightside.

5.8Turnthe3rdlayertothecounterclockwiseoncemore.

5.9BringdowntheRightside.

5.10Realigntheedgeswiththecentercolors.

6. Rearrange 3rd layer corners

6.1Checkifthefourcornersonthe3rdlayerareincorrectpositions.Checkifacornerconsistscolorsofthecentercolorsofthesides.Forexample,ifthethreecentercolorsareyellow‐green‐orange,checkifthecorneredgealsoconsistsyellow‐green‐orange.

CORRECT POSITION

INCORRECT POSITION

6.2Setthecubeinacorrectposition. Noneofthecornersareinacorrect

position:Positiondoesnotmatter.

Atleastonecornerisinacorrectposition:PositionthecubesothatthiscornerisontheBottomrightofthe3rdlayer.

Allofthecornersareincorrectpositions:Skiptostep7.

6.3LiftuptheLeftside.

6.4TurntheToplayertotheclockwiseonce.

6.5LiftuptheRightside.

6.6TurntheToplayertothecounterclockwiseonce.

6.7BringdowntheLeftSide. 6.8

TurntheToplayertotheclockwiseonce.

6.9BringdowntheRightside.

6.10TurntheToplayertothecounterclockwiseonce.

6.11Checkifallthecornersareincorrectpositions.

TIP: Aslongasthecornerconsiststhecolorsofcentersoftheadjacentsides,itisinacorrectposition.Thecolorsofthecornerdonothavetobeonthesamefaceofeachofitscentercolor.

7. Align the corner colors of the 3rd layer

7.1Setthecubesothattheunalignedcornersareontherightside.Ifallofthefourcornersareunaligned,thepositiondoesnotmatter.

On the Right side

7.2Repeatsteps5.3–5.10.

7.3Repeatsteps5.3–5.10ontheLeftside.Thisstepisverysimilartostep7.2.Theonlydifferenceisthatyouareturningthelefthandsideofthecube.Hereisadiagramforstep7.3.

7.4Repeatsteps7.1–7.3tocompletethe3rdlayer.

MissionAccomplished

X2

1 2 3 4

5 6 7

Maintenance Tips

Therearetwowaystoimproveyourcube’sperformance:Cleaningandusingalubricant.Theeasiestwaytoimprovethesmoothnessofthecubeistocleanthemovingpartsofthecube.Youcandisassemblethecubeandcleanoffthedustwithanoldtoothbrushoratowel.Inaddition,youmayalsouseasilicon‐basedlubricant,notpetroleumbased(WD‐40),tolubeyourcube.First,popoutanedgepieceandsprayabitinthehole.Putthepiecebackinandturnthecuberandomlyforawhiletospreadittoallthemovingparts.

Troubleshooting

IfyouarehavingtroublesolvingaRubik’scubethroughthishard‐copyversioninstruction,youcancheckoutthevideoclipversionofthisinstructionthroughhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaltgJGz‐dU.Thisvideoclipwillgoovertheinstructionindetailanditwillhelpyouunderstandthestepsevenbetter.