Date: 11 Aug 1980 09:51 PDT
From: McKeeman at PARC-MAXC
Subject: Re: Edge-cubie flipping algorithms
In-reply-to: Greenberg's message of 10 August 1980 2252-edt
To: Bernard S. Greenberg <Greenberg at MIT-Multics>
cc: Davis at OFFICE-3, CUBE-LOVERS at MIT-MC

Bernard,

Actually, using Alan's IJK convention and the macro facility I proposed, your 24
move edge-flip is:

    Q=U'DJ';  -- horizontal center slice 90o cw macro
    (FQ)^4(QF)^4
and
    (FQ')^4

You didn't introduce notation, you just weren't very formal.  You may some
trouble getting the metric people agree that it only takes 24 moves however.

As for what we call the extended Singmaster notation, (1) I do not know that it
originated with him, (2) I do not know that he cares, (3) it could be called
RubikSong, CubeTalk, TwistSpeak, etc.  More to the point, who bothers to name
the notation of calculus, or group theory, or tensors.  Once standarditis sets in, a
notation just gets used, not named.  For time being, I nominate RubikSong,
giving a bow to both known sources of our pleasures.

Bill