Every position of Rubik's Cube can be solved in twenty moves or less

cube20.org

34 points·bookofjoe··7 comments

In 1986 my parents purchased a Rubik's Cube for me, just as they purchased every other fun tech toy (Simon, Merlin, Star Wars stuff, you name it.)

I spent an inordinate time in the bathroom with my Cube, and I used up prodigious amounts of Vaseline. Now why would a 14-year-old boy be smearing Vaseline all over the bathroom at night? I was lubricating that Cube.

I had that little pamphlet-sized cheat book that told you exactly how to solve the Cube with the best mid-80s algorithms. Speed was of the essence. Therefore I frequently disassembled and lubed up the Cube. I did achieve a 63-second record.

My parents did not question my chastity.

I also tried to use vaseline on my rubiks cube and found it didn't work very well. Ironically, Rubiks brand cubes are terrible and if you actually like solving them it's better to get one of the off brand cubes that are meant for solving / speed cubing.

I think my time frame was off; my Cubing was probably more like 1982 when I was 10. In my recollection, Rubik's brand was the best-constructed model around. The off-brand cubes were stiffer, plus they had the wrong colours. Perhaps it has all reversed since then.

Title needs (2010).

Does it follow that every permutation of a rubik's cube can be achieved in 20 moves or less?

Yes, all positions that can be reached from a solved cube.

But how many moves are required to take a solved cube through every permutation?

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