Cube Rubik - the best puzzle of all time?

This fascinating experiment can be put on people of all ages in all corners of the world. Without saying a word, just give the person a Rubik's cube. Do not give any hints or instructions, just see what happens. Most people will try to collect nine elements of the same color on each of the six rotating faces. The traditional colors of the puzzle are white, red, blue, orange, yellow and green. The person to whom the toy fell into the hands for the first time, quickly turns out to gather together only the side. Well and further it is necessary to apply logic thinking or to use schemes-prompts. The riddle of the Rubik's cube is considered solved, when the elements on each face will have the same color.

As a simple toy has won the hearts of millions

At first glance, the puzzle seems simple, and its solution is obvious. Nevertheless, since 1980, Rubik's cube has quickly become the best-selling toy from the manufacturer of Ideal Toy Corp. This New York company was founded by the Russian-Jewish immigrant Morris Mitchom and his wife Rose. But soon the enterprising couple released another bestseller - the teddy bear Teddy, and the intriguing puzzle lost its position. And although in our days the boom for the Rubik's cube has already passed, still there remain convinced fans of the assembly of the three-dimensional mathematical puzzle.

Who in the world is faster?

There is even a free World Association of Rubik's Cube, under the auspices of which the world championships for speed of assembly of toys are held. Each member of this association, wants to update the world record and at least for a time to become famous. The current world record was fixed last year and belongs to the very young Dutchman Matsu Valku. The sixteen-year-old won with a symbolic time of 5.55 seconds.

New level

Now a little toy to collect - this is no surprise. That's if at leisure to do sharpening the filigree technique of owning fingers - this is quite another matter. No wonder that the most dexterous are schoolchildren who are characterized by lightning-fast reactions. In addition, young people compete with each other in skill. So, the record for the assembly of the Rubik's cube with the feet, fixed in 2012, belongs to the Indonesian schoolboy Fakhri Raikhann. His fantastic time stood at 27.93 seconds. Not every fan of the puzzle can boast such outstanding seconds, making manipulations with his hands. In the same year, the 18-year-old Australian Felix Zemdeghs managed to collect a toy using only one hand. The boy's record time is 9.03 seconds.

And yet in this puzzle there is something intriguing. Otherwise, how does it manage to attract the views of millions of people around the world for more than three decades? Surprisingly, in the 21st century, with such a diverse and complex computer video games, people still pick up the Rubik's cube.

The perfect square shape

Everything is in a convenient form and ideal outlines. The Rubik's cube is designed in such a way that it fits perfectly into the space between the palms of a person. This puzzle will never get bored, because it can be solved in many ways. Bright plastic colors of faces create a positive mood around you. This is the reality of the end of the 20th century, but the Rubik's cube had intellectual predecessors, which also did not lose their popularity in time.

As an example, you can recall such board games as chess or backgammon. With a clear geometrical similarity, these games have a cardinal difference. If two opponents are playing chess, then Rubik's cube is going to the participant alone. Of course, within the clubs of puzzle lovers team competitions are possible according to the pre-established rules. And yet the participants remain one on one with time and with their own nerves. Perhaps, this seduces many of them.

To whom should we be grateful for the invention of this thing?

The fundamental basis of the toy is due to the Hungarian sculptor Erno Rubik. As a professor of architecture in one of Budapest's universities, he originally planned to design a textbook for his students studying the basics of mathematical theory and three-dimensional space. Before the inventor was a simple task - to design a cube with rotating axes, which, when moving, would not violate the constructive unity of the device. The first visual aid was made of wood and consisted of 27 colored cubes.

By the method of tests it was decided to get rid of all the superfluous. So there remained an axis with six central cubes, on which were twined twelve side elements, each of which consisted of two colors, and in the corners of the structure there were eight tri-color elements. The central axis does not rotate, maintaining the integrity of the structure, a fastening mechanism is placed inside it. Two-sided and three-sided cubes are movable.

Three years later the puzzle was sent to the stores in Hungary. Early toys were twice as heavy as the current ones, and the sale was slow because of restrictions imposed by the Communist Party of Hungary on private entrepreneurs.

Propagation around the world a toy owes Tibor Lakzi

Perhaps the world would never have learned about the ingenious invention, were it not for the German businessman and lover of mathematical puzzles Tibor Lakzi. In early 1980, the entrepreneur went to his historic homeland and was very interested in a bright three-dimensional toy. With the consent of the inventor, he grabbed a magic cube at the Nuremburg Toy Fair, from where his victorious procession around the world began. Quickly found smart people who persuaded the company Ideal Toy Corp to invest a large amount in production. The toys were sold like hot cakes. Soon Erna Rubik became the richest private person of communist Hungary.

Conclusion

Currently, the inventor continues to create in Budapest, in his private studio. In addition, Erne Rubik created a fund for helping Hungarian inventors and designers. And the worldwide association Speedcubers encourages its members to improve their assembly skills. Now people collect a toy with blindfolds and even under water, holding their breath. Currently, this is not just a manual for three-dimensional space, the assembly of the Rubik's cube has turned into a real magical show.