Fess up, who is geeky/ smart enough to have actually figured out these things ON THEIR OWN?
I admit that I was taught 1 move (how to move the front mid piece to the front side) when I was 15. I still couldn't solve the cube with that one move. Once I was got to college I took the time to figure out how to solve the rubik's cube by manipulating that one move. I'm not smart enough that I could do it w/o paper and pencil but I did it myself... sort of. More so than someone teaching me to do the whole thing. I can understand the solving directions relatively well if I look at them but I've only looked at them after I solved it because I wanted to learn the quick way instead of the layer way and didn't want to take the time to figure it out myself.
I'm still working on the 4x4. There's 2 new problems to it. I figured it out at one point but then put the cube away and forgot how I had solved it. :( Then when I tried to figure it out again it broke on me. >:( Cheapo $20 POS.
Oh yeah, here's a question that my friend posed to me:
How many cubes are in a Rubik's Cube?
This question was an accounting firm's feeble attempt to see if applicants had watched The Pursuit of Happiness and look smart. Their answer was 3x3x6=56 which is, of course, wrong. Now if they had asked how many squares there are in a Rubik's Cube, they'd be correct. But they didn't. [roll] The real answer is: 1. There are no small cubes in a rubik's cube but the thing as a whole is a cube. The middle is a ball and takes a chunk out of each cube so there are no entire cubes.
Here's my rant though.
I've seen so many people that have a rubik's cube laying around and I start playing with it and they're like, "Wow, you can solve that? I can't. My 9yo son can though!" Did he figure it out himself? Of course not. Anyone under 10 can't possibly figure out a rubik's cube on their own. You can TEACH them how to do it and then they can do it but they can't figure it out on their own. The human mind just isn't developed enough to think analytically before that age. It's the same way that kid geniuses don't do the hardcore math until they're older than 10. It's cause they can't. It annoys me how people get so excited about flaunting their child's intelligence by saying that they can do something they were taught. It's not special to be able to solve a rubik's cube if you were taught. I can teach almost anyone to solve a 3x3 and they'll be able to solve the rubik's cube through trial and error. It's still not as good as someone that solved it on their own though. They'll be happy about it and feel a certain sense of accomplishment but it's not that special anymore.
the key is the corner of the cube represents the color that face must be. being able to solve it = kthxbye.
being able to solve it consistently = impressive.
You dont teach a kid how to solve a cube, you teach them moves that aren't obvious, because each puzzle is unique.
I'm geeky enough that I was entered in a rubiks cube tournament when I was a little kid...made it a couple of rounds before I was eliminated. :-[
I learned how to do 2 lines of it by myself. I cheated (looked on the internet) to figure out the rest. I can do it one way and one way only. Some people are "smart" enough to figure out a faster way (less movements of the cubes) to complete the whole puzzle.