Customer Reviews

Handbook of Cubik Math

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This book was originally published in 1982. It starts from the basics: how to think about the cube, terminology, and notation. No prior knowledge is required. By the end of the book, the reader not only knows how to solve the Rubik's Cube, but also understands the process from beginning to the end. Sequences of moves on the Rubik's Cube will not mysteriously work --- the reader will understand why they work.

Along the way the reader will also learn about group theory: permutation groups, inverses, conjugates, commutators, subgroups, isomorphisms, etc., and will see how these concepts help build an understanding of the Rubik's Cube.

Personally, I first figured out how to solve the Rubik's Cube in the late 1980s by using the hints given in Douglas R. Hofstadter's Metamagical Themas: Questing For The Essence Of Mind And Pattern. Reading this book, however, showed me how to streamline my techniques while also giving me a much deeper understanding. I credit this book with opening new doors: had I not read it, I may have gotten bored with the Rubik's Cube. These techniques allowed me to apply my knowledge to harder puzzles, such as the larger cubes and non-cube puzzles like the Megaminx and Gigaminx. (Recommended cube brands: Eastsheen, e.g., Eastsheen Black 5x5x5 Magic Rubik's Cube and V-Cubes, e.g., V-Cube 7 Multicolor. I'm not sure what brands of the Megaminx or Gigaminx are good.)

This book reads a bit like a textbook --- there are exercises at the end of many sections. Readers should plan to actually do the exercises, because a novice reader who ignores them may get lost. If you're only looking to solve the Rubik's Cube, do not read this book. Read it if you wish to understand the Rubik's Cube and to see its relationship to mathematics.

You can buy this good if you want to learn solving the Rubik's Cube the hard way. The author is very knowledgeable in this hence the algorithm used in this book was named after himself (not by himself though). In the book it often reiterates that you won't need to memorize anything in order to learn how to solve the cube, but this is not true. You'll need to memorize a couple of algorithms if you're serious about it. Another thing the book fails to do is to explain things in simpler terms. The author relies on his adept abilities. I wont recommend this book for the layman, you can pretty much learn a lot more (and faster too) by watching some YouTube videos on how to solve the cube.