• Most everyone above the age of say 9 can learn to solve a Rubik's Cube. Simple methods are just step-by-step procedures; you just need to learn a few sequences of moves, recognize patterns, and follow rules.
  
• There are ways to approach the Rubik's Cube at least partially mathematically, but most speedcubing methods involve no math. Some steps are more or less intuitive, but there is very little that speedcubers invent on the spot. Other steps are straight pattern recognition; when we see this pattern, we we already know to apply this sequence of moves. Thinking is slow; brain-deadness is fast.
  
• Although many cubers also have interests in math or science, knowledge in either subject helps very little in cubing. Many world-class speedcubers are not good at math.
  

• No one can solve the Rubik's Cube regularly in 5 seconds. The record average is about 8 seconds. If your friend or some guy on the street/TV/YouTube solved the cube in 5 seconds, either he's cheating, you're exaggerating, or we know him well and it was an easy or lucky solve.
  
• Although every configuration of the Rubik's Cube can be solved in at most 20 moves (counting a 180-degree turn as one move), a typical speedsolve can take 50+ moves. If you saw someone solve a cube in 20 moves, he was cheating or it wasn't meant to be a proper solve.
  
• The chance of solving a well-scrambled Rubik's Cube by accident is considerably lower than winning a billion-dollar lottery. You never solved it by total chance after playing around with it for 3 days.
  
• If you solve 5 sides, the last side is automatically solved. You never managed to solve 5 sides but couldn't get the last one.
  
• The Rubik's Cube consists not of 54 independent stickers, but rather of 8 corner pieces (each with 3 stickers) and 12 edge pieces (each with 2 stickers) around a center axis with 6 fixed center pieces. Solving a side ("face") of stickers means nothing if the pieces aren't solved, and no solution involves solving one side at a time. It's very unlikely that you solved 3 sides but couldn't get the other 3; solving 3 sides places enough constraint that most pieces are in fact solved, but if you really managed this, you should know that solving side-by-side is complete nonsense. If you tell us this, we'll assume you're lying or remembering it wrong.
  

• If we're turning a cube without looking at it, there are several possibilities. If our eyes are open, we're probably
  scrambling it (we do this half the time), or
  actually solving it with our eyes open. A speedsolve using the most popular method takes only 7 looks. We look at the cube throughout for serious solves, but for casual solves, we might start a step and look away to do something else, only looking again before the next step.
  

• we're actually solving without looking ("blindfolded"). In this case, we must have spent some time memorizing the cube and probably have our eyes closed.
  

• In a blindfolded solve, we first need to memorize the cube. There is nothing to touch to distinguish the colors.
  
• Pieces of a normal Rubik's Cube can accidentally come out ("POP") during a speedsolve.
• Putting this back in is not cheating. If we put pieces back in incorrectly, we may end up in an unsolvable state and only realize this at the end of the solve. Taking out pieces to correct this is not cheating; in fact, for solvable configurations, solving as usual is often considerably faster than taking out pieces and putting them back in.
  

• Don't try to (badly) imitate our turning speed and drop the cube. This can damage pieces and put the cube out of tune. Many competition-level speedcubers spend a lot of effort fine-tuning their cubes.
  

• Doing four 90-degree turns in the same direction on the same side does nothing.
  
• Only turning parallel sides doesn't do much.
  
• Always turning a side together with the opposing side keeps the corners solved.
  

• As long as you scramble properly, say for at least 25 moves, looking at the cube while it is being scrambled does not help us solve it. If you grab the cube from us and hide it behind your back, we'll be worried that you'll drop it.
  
• Official rules allow up to 15 seconds of inspection beore starting a solve. We don't like it when you hide the cube, give it back, and start timing right away, especially without warning.
  

(16.06.2011, 07:13)deepSubDiver schrieb: (...)

• There are ways to approach the Rubik's Cube at least partially mathematically, but most speedcubing methods involve no math. Some steps are more or less intuitive, but there is very little that speedcubers invent on the spot. Other steps are straight pattern recognition; when we see this pattern, we we already know to apply this sequence of moves. Thinking is slow; brain-deadness is fast.
  (...)
  
  
• Official rules allow up to 15 seconds of inspection beore starting a solve. We don't like it when you hide the cube, give it back, and start timing right away, especially without warning.
  

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Shotaro Makisumi, as of 2011-06-16
Quelle

(16.06.2011, 07:13)deepSubDiver schrieb:

Watching cubers solve

We're happy when you take any interest in our hobby! But it's even better if you avoid some misunderstandings.

• If we're turning a cube without looking at it, there are several possibilities. If our eyes are open, we're probably
  scrambling it (we do this half the time), or
  actually solving it with our eyes open. A speedsolve using the most popular method takes only 7 looks. We look at the cube throughout for serious solves, but for casual solves, we might start a step and look away to do something else, only looking again before the next step.
  
  
• Pieces of a normal Rubik's Cube can accidentally come out ("POP") during a speedsolve.
• Putting this back in is not cheating. If we put pieces back in incorrectly, we may end up in an unsolvable state and only realize this at the end of the solve. Taking out pieces to correct this is not cheating; in fact, for solvable configurations, solving as usual is often considerably faster than taking out pieces and putting them back in.
  

(16.06.2011, 12:07)Tommy schrieb: Es drängt mich unbarmherzig das Ganze zu nehmen und einfach ma auf Mist-Book zu posten ^^
Ach wär das schön wenn sowas wirklich etwas bringen würde...

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