summary one-minute video

different type of twisty puzzle - crazy and others

This week, I’m going to introduce other types of twisty puzzle.

First, let’s get “crazy”!

“Crazy” is one of my favorite design, and this concept of structure can be easily combined with different other cubes, making them much harder. Unlike the twisty puzzle cube, it doesn’t change the shape of the cube because it just adds a circle at the center of each side. What’s special is that the part inside the circle doesn’t move while the part outside is twisted at some center sides.

crazy 3*3*3

crazy megaminx

Second, Delta Cube (Burmuda Cube)(百慕達方塊)

it is some kind working like Rubik’s Cube. However, its center is not only square but with triangle! I think it is really a fun structure. The designer think outside the box. Why the appearance should always be symmetric?

Else,

Bandaged cube.

This concept is to add some limitation which make some normal cube harder to be solved (and also scrambled).

The most common way to create a ban cube is paste the sticker on some neighboring cubies and make them a big cuby. Because they can’t be separated, somewhere of the cube can’t be twisted. As a result, there is less useful formula, and the cubers have to try different methed to solve it.

bandaged 3*3*3

other special bandaged cube, Latch Cube.

every time you twist it, should follow the direction. so, it iis possible that you can't rotate this lawyer.

picture resource:

google search picture - bandaged cube, latch cube, crazy cube, crazy megeminx.

http://www.davidguo.idv.tw/cube/ 

different kind of twisty puzzle - mix-up and gear

This week, I’m going to introduce some my favorite design of Oskar van deventer.

First, mixup.

Take 3*3*3 as an example. if it is a mixup cube, you will see that the rate of the cubies’ edges is 1: sqrt(2): 1 . And with special magical structure, when you twist the second lawyer for 45 degrees, you can still twist the cube. It means that the position of the center and the edge cubies can be switched. There are many different kind of mix-up cubes. mixup3*3*3 is just the basic one.

mixup 3*3*3

special way to twist

other mixup cube

scrambled mixup4*4*4

Second, gear cube.

As its name suggests, it is a cube combined with gears. The most simple is 3*3*3 gear cube I. all of its cubies are substitutes by gears, which makes all of the neighboring lawyer are related. So, when you twist the first lawyer for 180 degrees with the bottom lawyer fixed, the second lawyer will be twisted for 90 degrees at the same time.

3*3*3 gear cube

davidgear

the combined of the two!

picture resource:

http://www.davidguo.idv.tw/cube/

google picture(mixup cube, gear cube)

twisty puzzle maker

Besides those I basic puzzle I mentioned, there are still many different kind of twisty puzzle. There is not competition held for these, but in my opinion, it is the most interesting part of cube world. Every times I saw the new puzzle was published, I’ll feel exciting and wonder how this cube work and how to solve it. However, most of them are so expensive that I only can see them through the picture and video. So, I’m going to introduce some twisty puzzle maker.

https://ruwix.com/the-rubiks-cube/rubiks-cube-memes/

  Tony fisher. In 1981, he started his first work, Siamese cube. Then create 3*3*4, whose structure was use on other similarly (see picture). And Hexaminx is my favorite one. You can see it from the picture. With the shape of cuboid, it is a cubic version of megaminx. (unbelievable, isn’t it?)

Siamese cube(can be added more cube together)

3*4*5 before

after scramble

Hexaminx

see the star i draw, you can see its structure is same as megaminx

  Oskar van deventer. I saw he from the youtube. He had created plenty of amazing structure and cube. Some of them has been mass-produced, but most are only made by himself. Besides cube, he also make many funny puzzle. He is really a genius. If you are interesting, search Oskarpuzzle and I’ll introduce some design of him next week.

resource:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Fisher_(puzzle_designer)#cite_ref-Slocum_1-0

https://ruwix.com/the-rubiks-cube/rubiks-cube-memes/

google picture

youtube

Different types of puzzles-basic(2)

star pattern
http://www.suggest-keywords.com/bWVnYW1pbnggcGF0dGVybnM/

Last time, I introduced about pyraminx and skewb. This week, I’m going to show others kind of basic different rubik cube.

First, Megaminx. I had mentioned it when I talked my topic in class. It is in the shape of Dodecahedron. (It has twelve planes which are in the shape of pentagon.) It looks much more hard than Rubik’s cube, but most of the formulas and methods of Rubik’s cube can be used to solve it. Actually, you can solve it with about two more formulas than Rubik’s cube.

https://www.amazon.com/ShengShou-Megaminx-Speed-Puzzle-Black/dp/B01EYT8OPU

The next one is Square-1. Amount the basic twisty puzzles, I thought it was the hardest one. The original shape is a cube with 3 layers and the top and bottom layers are respectively divided in 8 pieces. Four at the corner like a kite(60degree), and the other are triangles (30 degree). The middle layers only divided in two pieces. Despite less pieces than other one, but it is harder to realize and has longer formula. The world record is 6.84 seconds held by Tommy Szeliga.(Compared to Rubik’s cube,a little bit longer)

scrambled one
https://ruwix.com/twisty-puzzles/square-1-back-to-square-one/

resource:

https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_1

https://ruwix.com/twisty-puzzles/square-1-back-to-square-one/

Cube and Art

Rubik’s cube is not only used to challenge our brain, but it is also combined with art.

In my opinion, the art can be categorized into two different forms.

First type, it put emphasis on the beauty of symmetry and at most time only one cube is used. With less combination and more limitation, it relatively harder and more technique or formulas are needed. (I prefer to this kind, especially to study how to make these amazing patterns.)

(this make an illusion as if  they were twisted around the corner directly.)

'I love you' show in one cube!!

https://ruwix.com/the-rubiks-cube/rubiks-cube-patterns-algorithms/twisty-puzzle-patterns/ 

The second typed called cube mosaics, it uses a lot of cube to compose an image, like paintings, faces or marks. One small cuby (a square of color) is one pixel, so hundreds or thousands of Rubik’s cube will be needed to form an exquisite image. And it is also time-consuming, just like other kind of art.  

https://ruwix.com/the-rubiks-cube/rubiks-cube-mosaics-rubikubism-image-gallery/
http://walyou.com/rubiks-cube-mosaics/

cube mosaics combined with MV

When I was writing, I found there is a team called “cube work” they made several big

works by cube.

http://www.cubeworks.ca/

Different types of puzzle-basic(1)

Skewb“skewb” is a word combined by skew and cube. Its basic shape is a cube but with completely different structure from rubik’s cube. It has four axes while rubik’s cube has six. You can twist I around its corner. (the shape of the rotated surface is hexagon.)

https://ruwix.com/twisty-puzzles/skewb-pyraminx-mod-skewb-diamond/

With less piece and axis,it’s easier and have fewer steps to solve it. The world record is 1.10 seconds held by Jonatan Kłosko.

following are skewb in different shape:

http://www.davidguo.idv.tw/cube/skewb.htm

Pyraminx it’s a twisty puzzle in the shape of cones invented by Uwe Mèffert. Like pyramid, so it’s called pyraminx. It also has four axes and can be rotated around each of its corner.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyraminx

Although it has three layer, it’s as simple as skewb. The world record is 1.32 seconds.  

resource:

https://ruwix.com/twisty-puzzles/skewb-pyraminx-mod-skewb-diamond/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skewbhttps://www.worldcubeassociation.org/results/regions.php