- [Jared] This is a Speed Cube.
It's a special kind of Rubik's Cube
that is meant to be solved very quickly.
In this video, we'll learn about speed cubing,
the basics of how to solve one,
and then we'll take a look inside to see how it works.
This video is sponsored by SpeedCubeShop,
your source for all things cubing.
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I like Rubik's Cubes.
It's a fun 3D puzzle to try and line up all the colors,
and you know what?
It's a lot easier to animate
than some of these large scale items I've been doing.
So it's a nice little break, but still an interesting topic.
It was invented by Erno Rubik in 1974.
This happened in Budapest, Hungary.
It was originally called the Magic Cube
and it looked a little bit different.
In 1980, it was renamed to the Rubik's Cube.
Since then, it's become a worldwide phenomenon.
Lots of other size variations of the cube
have also appeared, and these get bigger
and bigger and bigger, okay, not that big.
The largest one I think they sell is the 21 x 21
but it's a little more expensive than the other cubes.
But of course, the most popular one is still the 3 x 3,
the original puzzle size.
Now, it's fun not just to solve it
but to solve it as fast as possible.
The problem with the Rubik's Cube
is that it wasn't designed to move quickly.
There can be a lot of friction between the sides
as you spin them.
Sometimes moving too quickly can pop one of the pieces
and the cube starts to fall apart.
Not good if you're trying to break a record.
Those that wanna solve it quickly are called Speed Cubers
and they usually don't use a regular Rubik's Cube.
They use a Speed Cube.
The sides turn much easier, and some of the pieces
have rounded edges.
This allows you to do something called corner cutting.
This means that before we finish a turn
we can start the next one.
Remember, it's a Speed Cube, all about doing it fast.
The way you solve one of these cubes is the same.
It just depends on how much you care about speed.
The real question, can you solve one?
Maybe, maybe not.
Let's go over a few of the basics
that might help you get started.
The center pieces are fixed in place.
They don't move at all, but they can rotate.
These make up the core of the cube
which we'll take a closer look at in just a minute.
The rest of the pieces are called cubies
and there are 20 of them.
These are the pieces that move around the cube.
Simple, right?
Just get the 20 cubies in the right place.
When first starting out
it's pretty exciting to solve just one color
but you have to keep in mind
we're not just moving around individual squares,
we're moving around whole pieces at a time.
For example, corner pieces have three colors on them
and these colors will always move around together
so even though you've solved one side,
these pieces aren't in the right place
until the entire layer is solved.
Then you can move on to solve the cube layer by layer.
One of the most popular methods for speed cubing
is called CFOP
and this is an acronym which is made up of other acronyms
and, okay, it's not too bad.
Stick with me for just a minute.
This method solves the cube starting on the bottom
and working your way up.
Although this isn't a detailed tutorial,
let me at least give you a general idea of how it works.
First, the cross, which will be solved on the bottom.
Remember, the colors have to line up with the centerpieces
on the side, so let's say this is green here.
It would be in the wrong spot, but since it has blue
we're good to go.
Next is F2L or first 2 layers.
You'll notice we already have some of it solved.
We just need to figure out these four pairs of pieces.
Start with the corner pieces on the bottom layer
and then the edge pieces on the middle layer.
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Experienced Speed Cubers will solve these as an F2L pair
or first 2 layers pair
bringing them both down at the same time.
This last layer is a little tricky
because you have to move your pieces around
without messing up what you've already done, which is a lot.
There are two steps for this last layer.
We start with OLL or orientation of last layer.
This lines up the colors on top
while ignoring the side colors.
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Then finally, PLL or permutation of last layer.
This uses special moves to swap these pieces around
until it's completely solved.
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To really master this, you'll need to learn algorithms
or a specific set of steps to move the pieces around
where you want them to go.
For example, one of the last moves might be
swapping these three edge pieces around.
There's a specific algorithm to do this
without messing up any of the other pieces.
There are a few different methods for solving the cube
but the most popular one
is the one we just demonstrated, CFOP.
But speed cubing or let alone just solving the cube
isn't for everyone, and that's okay.
It's still fun to mess around with.
Let's dive into the mechanism of each cube.
As we talked about before, each cube has a core
which holds the six centerpieces for each cube.
They're fixed in place, but they can rotate.
Each cube has 8 corner pieces and 12 edge pieces.
For the original Rubik's Cube
these pieces have extra plastic hanging off the side.
The plastic holds the cube together.
It's a bit more blocky of a design
and it has a lot more friction as the pieces move around
which is okay if you're not worried about speed.
The Speed Cube is going to look a little bit different
on the inside.
The corner pieces and edge pieces
they look a little bit different as well.
They're designed to be smooth and sleek
and to minimize friction.
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The core of the cube looks different as well.
The Speed Cube has something called the tension system.
It's made up of six springs that hold the cube together.
The core and the screws are fixed in place
but the centerpieces are pushed towards the center
by the spring.
Because of the springs this means that the Speed Cube
is actually a bit flexible.
You can pull the pieces apart just a little bit.
This is one of the reasons
that corner cutting works so well.
On the regular Rubik's Cube corner cutting
is not really possible.
You have to completely line up the turn
before starting the next one.
The tension system on the Speed Cube is usually adjustable.
The caps on the centerpieces come off
which exposes a tiny screw.
If you happen to have a screwdriver
you can tighten the screw
which makes the cube less flexible
or held together more firm
or loosen the screw, making it more flexible.
If possible, you'll wanna adjust all six screws
to the same amount.
This allows you to customize your cube
just how you like it.
A lot of enthusiasts will also use lubricant
on their cube to further reduce the friction.
You can get these lubricants and do it yourself
or you can have it professionally done by SpeedCubeShop
before you even get your cube.
As part of the service they will also make sure
that the tension is just right.
And if you ever want to take your cube apart
then loosening these screws can make it much easier.
In some cubes, they will use a technology called MagLev
which is short for magnetic levitation.
If you put two of the same poles together on a magnet
they will push off of each other.
So in the Speed Cube instead of a spring doing the pushing,
the magnets now do the pushing.
This eliminates any noise from the springs
but also gets rid of even more friction
because the magnets aren't actually touching.
Regardless of what you're using in the core,
magnets or springs, there's another place
that magnets can be used
in the edge and corner pieces.
This helps align the layers as you turn them,
so as long as you get close
the magnets will pull it back into place.
There is a whole community out there
that is quite passionate about speed cubing.
They have championships all over the world
to see who can solve them the quickest.
The current world record for a 3 x 3 solve
is just over 3 seconds.
That's fast.
The Speed Cube shown in this video was loosely modeled
after the MoYu RS3 M.
However, there are quite a few other brands
of Speed Cubes as well.
SpeedCubeShop, you can find other sizes of cubes
all the way up to that 21 x 21.
Good luck solving that one.
Not just cubes, but other puzzle variations as well.
Some of them very interesting.
SpeedCubeShop is located in Las Vegas, Nevada,
but don't worry they ship worldwide.
When you order from their website
you'll also be supporting my channel
and the animations that I make.
For all the fun make sure you use my link in the description
to get a discount at SpeedCubeShop.
So have fun speed cubin, but in the meantime
you might wanna watch another one of my videos.
Click one of the cards on screen
or click here to subscribe.
My name's Jared.
Thanks for watching.
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