The Rubiks Cube is not only popular but is mathematically and physically interesting too. People have marveled at the combinations and designs of the cube. This article is going to cover some of the most interesting and important facts about the Rubik’s Cube.
- The Rubiks Cube was originally called the Magic Cube.
In 1974, a Hungarian professor by the name of Erno Rubik invented a puzzle that he called Bűvös kocka, or in English: the Magic Cube. It was made in an attempt to model three-dimensional movement to his students. The first version was made with things like “…wood and paper…rubber bands, glue, and paper clips.”In 1980, it was licensed by a company called Ideal Toy Corp, and the name was changed to the Rubik’s Cube.
- The yellow side was a health risk.
Image Source Google News
In 1982, when the Rubik’s Cube was shipped to England, health officials discovered there was a problem: The plastic tiles affixed to the cube were found to contain high levels of lead. The largest problem was the yellow side which had at least 26,250 ppm (parts per million), which was way more than the 2,500 allowed. Ultimately, the design and material of the cube were changed, and now it is completely safe.
- First Cubing Competition… 22.95 = WR?
On June 5, 1982, the first-ever cubing world championship was hosted in Budapest, Hungary. The winner Minh Thai — from the United States — had a time of 22.95 seconds.
Image Source Speedcubing Wikipedia
Even though this may not seem like such a good time for one of the top speed solvers. At the time, it was amazing. This was considered the first-ever official Rubik’s Cube competition.
- The largest and Smallest Rubik’s Cube
The largest-ever Rubik’s Cube measuring 2.503 m x 2.505 m x 2.502 m was created by NINA MALL (China) in Hong Kong SAR. This fully functional cube is truly an engineering marvel.
Image Source Hindustantimes.com [left] Jperm: World’s Smallest Rubik’s Cube [Right]
On the other side of the spectrum, a company in Japan called “Tokyo” made what they call the smallest Rubik’s Cube, measuring a mere 0.39 inches. This tiny puzzle has hundreds of sales worldwide.
- The Fastest Speed Solver is a Robot?
On November 9, 2016, in the Electronica Trade Fair in Munich, Germany, the robot “Sub1 Reloaded” managed to solve the 3×3 rubik’s cube in a record time of 0.637 seconds. Albert Beer (Germany) was able to make this possible by using 2 webcams on each side that captured the arrangement of the pieces. Then the optimal solution was calculated using an Arduino compatible microcontroller.
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