The Rubik's Cube is one of the most popular and loved by many puzzle games.
Some historical facts
A toy called the Rubik's Cube was invented back in 1974 by the Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Erno Rubik. There is a version that initially this puzzle was developed as a teaching aid, with the help of which it would be easier for children to understand the mathematical theory of groups.
At first, it consisted of 27 wooden cubes with borders of different colors. Later it changed more than once, until it acquired its final form. And already in 1975, the developer of this toy received a patent for his invention, after which the rubik's cube (as it is called by the common people) entered mass production. It first went on sale as a New Year’s toy in 1978 under the name “Magic Cube”
After that, there was a sharp rise in the popularity of this puzzle, and a decline in demand among buyers. And now in our time, interest in the Rubik's Cube began to grow actively again.
The assembly diagram of the Rubik's Cube 2x2
Having bought this puzzle, many can spend days or even weeks puzzling over how to assemble it. And not everyone succeeds. In order to learn how to assemble a 2x2 rubik's cube, you do not need to be a genius. To do this, it is enough to study existing schemes and special algorithms with which you can easily and quickly assemble it. It is a clear assembly diagram of the Rubik's Cube 2x2 that will help to easily figure out how to do this.
Today, in stores you can find a large number of different options for the Rubik's Cube: a cube with cells 2 by 2, 3 by 3, 4 by 4, 5 by 5, etc. Let us dwell in more detail on the information useful for beginner cubes, namely how to collect a Rubik's Cube 2x2. There is a certain assembly algorithm for this puzzle, without which you can try to solve it for a very long time and to no avail. It is worth noting that for a huge number of people around the world, assembling the Rubik's Cube has become a subject of competition. So, for example, a well-trained cuber can collect a rubik's cube in thirty seconds, while a world champion - for a maximum of eight. In order to even get a little closer to such results, we will consider options for how to collect a Rubik's Cube 2x2. Such a toy is a mini version and consists of six colors on six sides, each of which has four cubes. Such a cube is not as easy to fold as it might seem at first glance. Even with fewer combinations compared to the standard 3x3 Rubik's Cube, a beginner will have to spend a lot of time to make a successful 2x2 Rubik's Cube a reality.
The assembly diagram of the Rubik's Cube 2x2
The assembly diagram of the Rubik Mini-cube (as it is sometimes called a 2x2 rubik-cube) is quite simple. Following this scheme, you can collect a Rubik's Cube 2x2 in a maximum of 20 minutes. Before proceeding directly to the assembly process, you need to carefully study the instructions for this puzzle and the terms described in it.
Terminology
In the description of the Rubik's cube assembly scheme, as a rule, you can find special terminology used to display the sequence of rotations of the cube planes.
The first and most important thing to understand is the legend of the sides (planes) of the cube. To do this, take a 2x2 rubik's cube in your hands so that one of its planes is at eye level. It is this side of the cube that is called the frontal one and is denoted by the letter (F). The remaining sides are designated as follows:
• N (D) - lower
• B (U) –uper,
• P (R) - right,
• L (L) - left,
• T (B) - rear.
In this case, the color of the sides of the cube does not matter.
How to collect a Rubik's Cube 2x2, following the scheme?
Everything is very simple - it is important to adhere to the location of the sides of the cube selected at the very beginning of the combination.
It seems to be sorted out with the definition and designation of the cube planes, what to do next? There are two types of rotations of the cube plane: the first is a 90 ° rotation clockwise and the second 90 ° rotation in the opposite direction - counterclockwise.
There are several other conventions used in the assembly process of the rubik's cube:
• the symbol “” - is used when rotating in the opposite direction to the clockwise direction indicated earlier;
• the designation “2” can also be used, which means that the side must be rotated 90 degrees twice (in the end, 180 degrees).
So, consider the algorithm for assembling a Rubik's Cube 2x2.
Action number 1. We collect the first (lower) layer
The first thing to do is to assemble the bottom layer so that all four cubes below are the same color, and the remaining two correspond to the colors of the cubes located next door. After assembling the bottom layer, you can proceed to the next step, which allows you to understand how to make a Rubik's Cube 2x2 (more precisely, assemble it).
Action number 2. We collect the top layer of a cube
At this stage of the assembly, you need to arrange the cubes located in the upper part in their places, while it is not necessary to compare their colors. The latter can be done later.
First you need to determine the color of the upper plane. It is absolutely easy to do this: the color of the upper plane of the cube is the color that is not in the lower layer. Next, you need to rotate the upper part until the selected upper cube takes the desired position, falling into the intersection angle of all three colors of this element. Moreover, it is not necessary that at this stage all the colors in the selected element match.
After one of the four corners of the cube is fixed, you need to correctly position the parts of the remaining corners. This can be done by choosing one of two existing combinations. The first combination allows you to swap the diagonal cubes, the second - adjacent. As a result, in order to correctly arrange all the corner cubes, you just need to choose the right combination. This combination may look as follows: VFPVPʼVʼFʼ (1) FVFʼVʼLʼVʼL (2).
Action number 3. Rotate the cubes of the upper layer
All combinations produced at this stage of the Rubik's cube assembly must be paired. First you need to turn one corner (for example, counterclockwise), then the second, but in the opposite direction, in accordance with the second combination (clockwise). The same actions can be performed for three angles that need to be turned in the same direction (in this case, three times in one of these combinations).
At this point, it may seem that the cube has acquired an even more confusing appearance, but do not worry. In order to return the cube to its assembled form again, it is necessary to rotate another angle in a different direction until this happens. In this case, between the operations you just need to rotate the upper face until a certain angle is located in the upper right corner. Combination: ʼ22ʼ (3) 2ʼʼ2 (4).
For three angles that need to be rotated in the same direction, other combinations can also be used. For example, you can arrange the cube so that the selected angle turns into the farthest upper left.
You can rotate the remaining three angles in the opposite direction to the clockwise direction using the following combinations: (VFPVPʼVʼFʼ) 2 (5) - combination (1), performed twice; or B2FV2FʼVʼFVʼFʼ (6); or FVF2LFL2VLV2 (7);
The rotation of the same angles, but clockwise can be done by performing the following combinations: (FVPVʼPʼFʼVʼ) 2 (8) - combination (2), performed twice; or FVF-VFV2F-V2 (9); or 2ʼʼ2ʼʼ2ʼʼ (10).
In fact, assembling a Rubik's Cube 2x2 can be a simple and even fun activity. The main thing is to adhere to the above algorithm of actions, and then everything will turn out. And after that you can safely take on more complex puzzles!