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Cubing from the Past to the Present

by Aadil-ali  in Year 7

The Rubik’s cube was invented by Hungarian Professor Erno Rubik in 1974. He made this to help his students understand 3D objects. The corners were cut because of the size. Even though he was the inventor, he did not know how to solve it. Today we have video tutorials, books, websites, and people to help us learn how to solve it, but back then, Erno was on his own. It took him months to figure out how to solve his own invention.

By 1977 it was released in Budapest and became very popular. At first, it was referred to as the Magic cube.  The toy company Ideal, helped Erno sell his Magic cube and by 1980 it was sold worldwide.

In the same year, David Singmaster came up with the layer by layer method which is used by many beginner speedcubers today.

Today there are lots of unique puzzles such as the Pyraminx and a 2x2x2 cube for those aiming for an easier challenge.

Ashi from year 7 said “I enjoy the satisfaction of turning the Rubik’s cube and it gets you thinking so much it’s like a mindfulness activity and it’s fun to break your own record.”

The first world championships for the Rubik’s cube took place in 1982 in Budapest. 20 contestants were selected from smaller competitions in their home countries. The winner was an American teenager named Minh Thai; he solved the cube in 22.95 seconds.

The fastest time is Feliks Zemdegs who solved it in 4.73 seconds. Following closely behind is Mats Valk, who can solve it in 4.74 seconds. The fastest time for a robot to solve a Rubiks cube is 0.637 seconds. The largest cube made is 1.57 metres high and the smallest is 5.6mm. The next major UK tournament is being held in Guildford on 17th and 18th March.