The Rubik’s Cube has piqued the interest of many around the world ever since it became available in toy shops world-wide. Having over 350 million cubes being sold, the complex puzzle of colors continues to perplex children and adults alike. The Rubik’s Cube is now a household name and a common hobby for many. Just how many more interesting features can the smart Cube possibly have?
Although the Rubik’s Cube is known as a famous toy in modern times, Erno Rubik, the Hungarian creator of the Rubik’s Cube, actually created the puzzle cube for studying and for art. This would mean that the “toy” we know and love is actually among the most renowned artworks of the century. The colorful Cube may be a common object to most of us nowadays, but it is an amazing device that defined the lives of generations.
5 Interesting facts
The smart Cube has quite a variety of interesting facts. It may seem unassuming enough at first glance, but it actually packs quite a bit of history behind its many faces. Here are 5 interesting facts about the Smart Rubik’s Cube that you might not know about.
- 1. Erno Rubik is not a good cuber. People continue to find faster ways to solve the Rubik’s Cube in the 40 years of its existence. Despite the fact that many genius speed cubers were brought together by the complexities of the smart Cube, Erno Rubik, the creator, does not belong to them. Rubik had admitted in a 2012 CNN interview that it took him more than one month to solve the Rubik’s Cube upon inventing it. The fastest time he was able to reach with a bit of practice still took about a minute. In contrast to the current cubers who can solve the cube puzzle in under 10 seconds, Rubik is actually a rather average cuber. It is quite remarkable that people can continue to find and craft more efficient ways to solve the Rubik’s Cube, even surpassing the inventor himself.
- 2. A 12-year-old child was able to write the bestselling strategy guide. We are all familiar that the Rubik’s Cube was initially introduced as a children’s toy to the world, but who would have thought that a kid would be able to find the most efficient way to solve it? Back in the early 1980s, when the puzzle cube was all the craze, cubers were very invested in the most optimal strategies and techniques that could be used to solve the Rubik’s Cube quickly. Since the Cube was a relatively new toy at the time, it was considered quite an incredible feat to be able to solve it.This allowed 12-year-old Patrick Bossert to sell an incredible 750,000 copies of his book called You can do the Cube. At that time, this book even ended up making it into the New York Times bestsellers. The boy originally wrote the guide book to help his friends solve the Rubik’s Cube, where one of them was able to show the guide to his father, which lead to the book’s publication. From then, his genius was able to catch the attention of many and continues to captivate cubers to this very day.
- 3.There are over 43 Quintillion possible combinations. Yes, you read that right. The Rubik’s Cube may seem like a rather small and simple object. However, there is virtually an infinite number of possible combinations you can make with a single cube. The Rubik’s Cube typically includes six sides that have nine blocks per face for the colors – orange, green, yellow, blue, red, and white. The 43,000,000,000,000,000,000 different ways to arrange the colors of the Cube makes it such an interesting puzzle and rather difficult if attempted to solve without any direction. Although the large number of variations that can be made may seem intimidating at first, a few weeks or months into cubing will make it seem as if the large number does not even exist. This is also why the smart Cube catches the attention of mathematicians, naming it a permutation cube. It is quite intriguing to think that these same cubes now have world record solving speeds that are measured in seconds.
- 4.People made a diamond- encrusted Rubik’s Cube. To take cubing a step even further, Diamond Cutters International crafted a perfectly functional smart cube from an expensive 185 carats of diamonds. This beautiful creation was made in celebration of the puzzle cube’s 15th anniversary since it was introduced to the world. The diamond-encrusted Rubik’s Cube was a piece of art that cost an incredible 1 million dollars at the time. Additionally, the company had also created about 2500 silver-infused Rubik’s cube that was worth 2000$ each. The Rubik’s Cube was quite an extraordinary concept even decades ago, captivating large companies and making a name for itself in the world of art.
- 5. The Rubik’s Cube was originally named the magic Cube. Erno Rubik originally conceptualized the idea of the handheld puzzle cube from geometry in order to understand how to rearrange the blocks without destroying their internal mechanisms. The first-ever prototypes that Rubik made were simply made out of wooden blocks and paper clips. With the assistance of a toymaker in Hungary, his prototypes of the Magic Cube were able to be distributed among toy shops. It was’nt until the 1980s that the Cube was licensed by the Ideal Toy Company. They then changed the magic Cube’s name to Rubik’s Cube in tribute to its original creator, which started the further popularization of the puzzle cube.
Conclusion
The Rubik’s Cube has proven to be filled with quite a lot of interesting history. You may just overlook it as another regular children’s toy, but the puzzle cube has given entertainment and memories worthy of making it the toy of all time. Its many variations pose quite a challenge, especially for those who have only started cubing.
The Rubik’s Cube may seem like a tedious toy with the many patterns and techniques you will have to learn, but you will find that solving and studying the Cube actually makes for a good pastime and helps you enhance your thinking skills.
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