Rubik cube - did you own one and could you solve it ?

[WildRosie]

For me, no and no. My brothers got them the Christmas they really took off but I didn't. I had, and still have, one or two other spatial awareness/geometric reasoning puzzles which weren't complicated at all. More of a pastime rather than brain exercise.

I remember later on a spherical version of the cube and Rubik's Revenge, same as the original cube but in a 4-pattern rather than 3. I couldn't solve those either.

DJ got one for Christmas this year and has been studying YouTube videos as to the knack of doing it. Apparently you start by getting a t shape in a colour then one side all one colour and so on. He got it fairly quickly and now all the kids are trying it. I’ve tried the old fashioned way, don’t think I’ll ever get it either way!!!

I remember the 'authorised or licensed' manufacturer was Ideal - at least in the UK. One of my brothers' cubes wasn't Ideal but a cheap copy that was easy to dismantle.

I’ve a couple of boxed old early ‘magic cubes’ as oddly my mum knew Erno Rubik back in the 70/80s through her profession. I have never ever been able to do RCubes and have never wanted to spend the time finding out how to (suspect because I don’t think I ever could). I’m quite into puzzles but this one intimidates me if I’m honest.

Yes and Yes. My cube is still at my mum and dads.

I had the book by Nicholas Hammond (think that was his name) on how to solve it, think it took him seconds.

Took me a month to solve it, with the book!!!

I still have one and I can sort of do it, I know some of the rules and then I just play around with it.

I'm nearly through solving my 4x4 with the booklet that came with it. It feels like a very wholesome thing to be doing with my time. Better than scrolling through WhatsApp and Twitter and Mumsnet anyway.

I had one but could only solve one side.

@WildRosie

I remember there was a book called 'You Can Do The Cube' (shamelessly cashing in) written by some school whizz. I think his name was Patrick. Basin haircut. That's all I remember. He's probably a Mathematics professor somewhere now.

I have that book!

I think I could do up to one face and 4 corners correct then learnt one move to get other bits into position. Took 2mins max.

I re-kearnt it again 10-16 years ago. But got a sore wrist lol

Yes, I worked it out one summer during the holidays in between working. That's all I did for weeks!

No, but I could do the snake.

Yes and yes. Learned the solution within a week of the craze hitting and I can still do it without really thinking, though not a speedcuber. I bought a 4x4 at the time so I could have the fun of working it out, but made the mistake of lending it to someone who promptly broke a corner piece and so I never managed to complete it. One day I'll get a new one...

wonders where her Cube is

Yes...

I also have a 4x4, 5x5 and a dodecahedron and can solve them all.

I got into them a while back 🤣

Yes and yes.
There was a particular method.

yes and yes but I learnt set moves and sometimes it can take quite a while. I keep a mini one on my desk and do it during boring teams meetings.

I couldn’t do it BUT my dd is a whizz AND during the first lockdown she taught me how to do it!

It was like big her was teaching little me 🤗

Yes I have owned one a few times over the years, tried and even googled how to but never been able to solve it!