Date: 17 Feb 1981 1622-PST
From: Steve Saunders <SAUNDERS at USC-ISIB>
Subject: Rubik-like sphere
To: Cube-Lovers at MIT-MC

And if you color it continuously, why not have continuous moves, too? For
instance, a smooth twist about an axis (like twisting a rubber ball that's
glued to sticks at its poles -- carries meridians into spirals), or a smooth
bending (like pushing one of those poles sideways while holding the other
fixed -- makes parallels not parallel).  I suspect that the groups resulting
from some sets of smooth motions would be very simple, but some might have
interesting interactions.  A problem with all this smoothness (a feature?) is
that it would enable approximate solutions, iterative converging infinite
"solutions", and disputes about whether SOLVED has in fact been reached --
none of which occur with the real Rubik's.

		Steve

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