So since this is an engineering newspaper, I feel it is appropriate to talk about the engineering and performance of one of humanity’s favourite inventions: the Rubik’s Cube. The Rubik’s Cube is a toy that dates back to 1981, where Erno Rubik created the cube for the masses. Since then, it has evolved into a standard toy for all kids and adolescents (at least, it should be).
Specially designed plastic pieces are interlocked together. Everything is based off the core in the middle, which has the 6 center pieces attached to it. This core is what allows the Rubik’s Cube to turn in all directions. Then, the edges interlock with each of the centers to form a base. Finally, the corners insert to finish the cube, and that encompasses the structure of the 3x3x3. So in total, that makes 6 sides with 6 different colours. Not only that, but there are a grand total of 43 252 003 274 489 856 000 permutations, and yet only one is correct (the solved state). Even though that may seem like a threatening number, chances are you’re only going to see a small amount of permutations when playing with the cube.
Naturally, with all games and toys, people want to find out who’s the best. Speedcubing has also been around since the creation of the cube. The top speedcubers in the 1980s had times ranging from 25 to 30 seconds; now, those times are considered to be at the beginner level of solving. Many methods of solving have been created in order to minimize times, but it’s the cube that the speedcubers use that really help shave off those last few milliseconds.
Of course, now that people wanted to get fast at solving the cube, many companies sprung up making cubes that appealed to this market. Different types of plastics, springs, and interlocking mechanisms have been produced (especially in the last decade) to help build competition and promote speedcubing over casual cubing. The companies have been rapidly evolving, and they’ve been growing exponentially. Not to mention, cubes are relatively cheap and a very good investment, so if you’re interested, now is the time to get a good speedcube.
Competitions have sprung over the world, and currently, an athlete named Mats Valk (considered by many to be second in the world) wanted to perform well at competitions with his own cube. After talking with a company, QiYi, they cooperated with him to build a cube that would fit his style and preference. Shortly after, Mats Valk and the new “Valk3M” went to a competition in Indonesia on November 6. Over there, he broke the world record for a single time solve on a Rubik’s Cube, with a 4.74 second record. It just goes to show how in just 35 years, the Rubik’s Cube has become more than a toy for many people. The engineering of this product has improved so much in this time, and it’s something that can be translated to all you engineers out there who want to work in industry in the future. Just take a page from the book of the speedcube, and apply it to your engineering career.
So, throughout this whole article, I’ve been raving about the 3x3x3 Rubik’s Cube. I haven’t even talked about higher order cubes (4x4x4) or weird cubes (megaminx), or even the speedcubing for those events. Feel free to Google them though, and be baffled at what these top tier cubers can do. For now, everyone should go pick up a cube at their local shop and start playing with this magnificent toy, and before you know it, you’ll be hooked.
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