The Rubik’s Cube

Class 1: Intro and Daisy

Day 0: Before We Start

Instead of solving the cube color by color, you actually need to solve it layer by layer.

The regular 3x3 Rubik’s cube has 3 layers, so we will solve each individual layer one at time

Pieces

There are three types of pieces: edges, corners, and centers.

Corners have three colors/stickers and there are a total of 8 corners.

Edges have two colors/stickers and in total there are 12 edges on the entire cube, they are between two corners.

There are 6 centers, each representing a side of the cube. These centers don’t actually move and are used to determine the color of that face

Notation

These are the moves that represent a move on the Rubik’s Cube. The letters aren’t required to actually know how to solve the cube but it can help with memorization

Let’s get Started!!

Week 1: Making the DaisyThe goal of this step is to have all the white edges on the top-yellow face.

Make sure you’re holding the cube in the way the yellow center is the top layer.

Make Daisy

You want to first find all four white edges in the cube. For a standard 3x3 Rubik’s cube, you should find these four pieces: White-Blue, White-Red, White-Green, White-Orange.

Situation 1: F’ (front turn counterclockwise)

Situation 2: F (front turn clockwise)

Situation 3: F2 (front turn twice)

Situation 4: F (front turn clockwise) and it turns into Situation 2

Complication #1

You may want to think of the top yellow layer as I’m having “slots” or rooms

You may have to move around the top layer to actually put the edge in an empty “slot”, or else you’re just replacing a filled “slot” with another white edge. To change it, you want to move the top layer till you find a “slot” that isn’t occupied by a white edge

Complication #2

Sometimes you would have to turn the top layer twice to insert the edge.

How do you solve for the

orange-white edge?

How do you solve for a flipped edge?

Congratulations, you’ve completed the first and hardest step!!!

HW:1. Memorize Notation2. Master the Daisy3. Learn the “Righty Alg” - R U R’ U’