Hello, this is Matsubara.
Now I work as a "project consultation desk" and am in charge of calculating the amount of work required for estimating and scheduling projects that customers consult with me about. I'm a former coder, so I do some coding from time to time.
Most of my work can be done remotely, so I've been working from home for about four months now, since the end of March this year.
With people spending more time at home than ever before due to the self-restraint measures in place, I'm sure many have taken this opportunity to try something new. I've tried a few things, such as yoga, cooking, sewing, and Animal Crossing, but I'm the kind of person who easily gets bored, so I couldn't stick with anything for a long time.
A friend recommended a 30-day plank challenge , but I ended it on the first day. But there's something I've been doing every day for about two months now. Yes, that's the Rubik's Cube!
Why Rubik's Cube?
One day, while I was casually watching TV, I heard the story that actor Naoto Fujiki could solve a Rubik's Cube in 22 seconds. I thought that must be a lie, so I searched it up and found out that it was actually true. That's when I learned that there is a method to solve the Rubik's Cube, and if you follow the steps, anyone can align all six sides.
Wasn't this a talent only given to the chosen few? If so, then I can do it too! So I immediately bought a cube and tried turning it while looking at the solution, but it took me more than 30 minutes to line up all six sides the first time.
I see, anyone can solve the Rubik's Cube, but surprisingly few people can. If you put this on your resume as a "special skill," it would make you look smart, so that's a good idea.
With impure motives, I searched further and found out that there is a sport called "speedcubing," in which participants compete to see who can complete all six sides the fastest. Apparently, such competitions are held all over the world, and according to information from the World Cube Association (WCA), the current world record is a whopping 3.47 seconds!
Netflix also offers a documentary film about Speed Cuban.
That's amazing...Does it have to be this far to be considered a special skill?
For now, I want to be able to solve it a little faster. With that in mind, I started practicing while watching videos on YouTube. If you search for "Rubik's Cube Strategy", you will find many videos on Rubik's Cube theory, standard moves, and how to use your fingers. By the way, since "Rubik's Cube" is a registered trademark, it is also called "3D puzzle" or simply "cube".
Before I knew it, I was spinning the cubes morning and night, and my house was full of them. I never thought I'd become so addicted to them at this time.
Each has its own characteristics, such as weight, ease of turning, and the ability to adjust the springs and magnets.
The deep world of speed cubes
I've known about the Rubik's Cube since I was a child, but when I actually tried it, I realized there were many things I didn't know about the world of speed cubes. One of those things was the "scramble," which is the subject of this article.
In order to prepare for lining up all six sides of a cube, you must first break the cube into pieces. Breaking the cube's faces in this way is called "scrambling." In competitions, to ensure fairness, players compete using cubes that have been scrambled into a specified shape. But it's hard to imagine how to break the cube into a specified shape before lining up the cubes, right?
You may not know this, but cubes have "rotation symbols" that use letters and symbols to represent the "face" to be rotated and the "direction" (clockwise or counterclockwise).
For example, the symbol for rotating the right side clockwise is "R", rotating it twice is "R2", and rotating it counterclockwise is "R'". Here is a table of rotation symbols commonly used in 3x3x3 cubes.
| Clockwise | Two clockwise revolutions | Counterclockwise | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Right | R | R2 | R' |
| Left | L | L2 | L' |
| Up | U | U2 | U' |
| Down | D | D2 | D' |
| Front | F | F2 | F' |
| Back | B | B2 | B' |
A diagram with rotation symbols superimposed on each face; one rotation is 90 degrees, and two rotations is 180 degrees.
R2 FD R' UR B2 U B' U2 F2 R2 U2 L2 U' R2 D' F2 B2
By combining the rotation symbols as shown above and rotating the cube in the correct order, anyone can break the cube in the same way, anywhere, anytime!
When scrambling, the cube is basically played with the white side facing up and the green side facing forward. If you rotate the cube in the order of the rotation symbols shown above, it will fall apart as shown in the unfolded diagram below.
Let's make a scramble program!
That introduction was quite long, but what I'm starting today is a series called "Let's create a program that randomly displays a scrambled image and automatically draws the unfolded diagram of a cube!"
Before I spin the cube, I always scramble it just like I would in a competition. If I mess it up carelessly, it can easily end up with six sides lined up, and I can't be happy even if I get a good time.
I usually use a mobile app that comes with a scramble and timer, but I couldn't find one that I could easily use on a PC, so I'm going to make one myself. Also, by thinking about the rotation mechanism and programming it myself, I might be able to better understand the cube and get a faster time. I hope that will happen! That's what I hope.
The finished product looks like this:
I will be reporting on the production process in a series of posts. In the next post, I will decide on the development procedures and get straight into production!
I also hope to share my progress in solving (the series of actions required to complete the six sides) and the appeal of the cube. Thank you for your support!
Current Best average of 5: 37.97
* "Best average of 5" is the average of the three times excluding the fastest and slowest times out of five consecutive solves.
MATSUBARA Megumi