Rubik Cube is a puzzle that requires you to focus. In an age of digital distraction, this physical challenge helps people concentrate for longer periods of time.

In cubing parlance, a sequence of moves that has a desired effect on the cube is called an algorithm. Algorithms can be used to bring the cube closer to a solved state.

How to Solve the Cube

There are many different ways to solve a cube and each method has its own algorithms. An algorithm is a sequence of moves that will bring the cube closer to a solved state. There are a number of great apps available that contain the various algorithms and can provide step-by-step instructions on how to move your cube.

The easiest way to start is with the white layer. Using this as your starting point, try to form a cross on the top and match each edge's colour with its centre in the middle layer. This can be a bit of trial and error but should only take 2-3 moves at most.

Once you have done this, continue to solve the rest of the layers. Remember, it takes time to memorise these algorithms so be patient and practice! The more you solve, the better you'll get. Eventually you'll be able to solve the cube with no help at all!

The First Step

The first step in solving the cube is to make sure that all of the white corners are on the top layer. There are 21 different algorithms for doing this, and it takes two to four seconds if done correctly.

It's also possible that the white corner pieces will be jumbled up, in which case you need to find an algorithm for dealing with this. There are several ways to solve this, but the most common involves finding a pair of edge pieces that don't have yellow on them and using the U R' U' R algorithm to arrange these.

This will move the other edge pieces into their correct positions as well. Once all of the edges are in their correct positions, you should have a completed cube. From here, all that remains is to solve the last two edges on the yellow facing layer. This is also a good time to practice all of the algorithms that you've learned to make them feel natural when you see the cube arrangement on the screen.

The Second Step

In this step you will put the corner pieces into their correct position. To do this take any of the four corners and move them with the algorithm U R' U' R until they arrange correctly then continue this process with the rest of the corner pieces.

Once you have all of the corner pieces arranged correctly orient the last layer yellow corners. This is probably the hardest step in the cube and requires a lot of practice. To do this apply the following algorithm:

This should give you either case 2 or case 3 on the top face. Repeat this algorithm for the remaining layers until you have all the yellow corner oriented correctly. Once this is done the cube is solved! There are 21 possible arrangements of the cube at this point, so you have plenty of algorithms to practice. The best practice is to learn all of these and then try them out to see which ones feel natural to you.

The Third Step

Using the beginner’s method the last step is to orient the yellow corner pieces on the top layer. This can be tricky because if you don’t do this right the cube will look messed up. To do this you want to use the R D R' D algorithm. This involves doing four face rotations, two double turns, and a single turn of the front-left-top yellow piece.

The rubix cube has 43 quintillion possible configurations. It was invented in 1974 by Erno Rubik, a Hungarian architect who worked at the Department of Interior Design at the Academy of Applied Arts and Crafts in Budapest. He designed it to serve as a tool to help his students understand three-dimensional movement.

He filed for a patent in Hungary (HU170062) in January 1975, and the Magic Cube became an instant success. It would sell 350 million units worldwide. It has inspired numerous artworks and films, and spawned a competitive sport called speedcubing, where teenagers compete to solve the puzzle in the fastest time.