Date: 25 September 1981 03:11-EDT From: Chris C. Worrell Subject: Poll results To: CUBE-LOVERS at MIT-MC Here are the results of the CUBE-POLL. DATE AVG. WORK WHEN # # REPLY AGE SOLVE TIME GOT OWN DIED OCCUPATION (MINS) ------------------------------------------------------------ 8/28 15 -- -- 4/81 1 0 STUDENT 9/7 16 -- -- 9/81 1 0 STUDENT 9/8 18 3-3:15 1.5-2m 9/80 2 .75 STUDENT 9/24 19 1:40 <10h 7/80 0 0 UG-ENG 8/17 20 4 1w 12/79 1 0 UG-CS/EE 8/29 20 1:50 1w 7/81 2 0 UG 8/25 22 1:30 ? 6/80 7 0 COMP. ANALYST 8/19 22 10 unreliably 7/81 2 0 HACKER 8/15 24 4 2d 1/80 1 0 PROGRAMMER/GRAD-CS 8/17 25 2 40h 6/80 4 0 PROGRAMMER/GRAD-PHYS 8/17 27 4 2-3w late78/79 2 0 HACKER/RECENT G.-CS 8/15 28 10-15 30h since start 2 0 PROGRAMMER 8/17 30 10 ? 5/80 1 0 TEACH/PROGRAMMER 9/11 30 5-10 50-60h 12/80 1 0 TEACHER-CS 8/15 31 2:15 8d 2/80 4 0 HACKER 8/18 31 5 2w 5/80 2 0 COMP. SCIENTIST 8/24 38 2 100h 5/80 4 3 PROFFESSOR 8/31 39 3 3d fall80 1 0 ROBOTICS RESEARCH 8/24 41 3 ? early79 24 0 COMP. ANALYST (the 24 cubes owned is mostly non-standard ones) DEAD CUBES: Many people replied that none of their cubes have died on them though some admit that some of their cubes are in pretty bad shape, or they have gotten additional cubes to keep their old ones from dying. One person reported that he has a cube which still works, even though it got left in a hot car, and got partially melted so is now some what surrealistically distorted. (I wonder what the temperature was) METHODS (INDEXED BY AGE(DATE-REPLIED)): 18. CORNERS,"MIDDLE-RING",TOP-SIDES,BOTTOM(MAY MESS UP TOP),? 19. TIME-EFFICIENT: U-EDGES,U-CORNERS,MIDDLE-SIDES,D-EDGES-ORIENTED, D-EDGES-POSITIONED,D-CORNERS-POSITIONED, D-CORNERS-ORIENTED MOVE-EFFICIENT U-EDGES 20 U-CORNERS 28 MIDDLE-SIDES 46 (primary target for improvement) D-SIDES 14 D-CORNERS 20 TOTAL=128qtw 20.(8/17) 2 METHODS BOTTOM,MIDDLE,TOP SLICES 4-CORNERS,8-CORNERS,BOTTOM,TOP,MIDDLE 20.(8/29) SOLVE GREEN FACE,OPPOSITE CORNERSIN CORRECT ORIENTATION OPPOSITE CORNERS IN CORRECT POSITIONS,OPPOSITE SIDES IN CORRECT POSITIONS,MIDDLE LAYER ABOUT 150qtw MAX. 22.(8/25) TOP 4 CORNERS,BOTTOM 4 CORNERS PLACED, ..ORIENTED EDGES PUT INTO PLACE IN PAIRS 22.(8/19) TOP(EDGES THEN CORNERS),MIDDLE,BOTTOM 24. MOVE AND TIME EFFICIENT: TOP CORNERS 22 BOTTOM CORNERS POSITION 26 " " ORIENTATION 24 TOP EDGES 40 BOTTOM EDGES 68 CENTERS 8 (initial posn of corners is by convenience) MIDDLE EDGES POSITION 20 " " 24 TOTAL=232qtw 25. TOP,MIDDLE,BOTTOM CORNER ORIENTATION,BOTTOM EDGE ORIENTATION,BOTTOM CORNER POSITION,BOTTOM EDGE POSITION 27. TOP CORNERS,TOP EDGES,3 MIDDLE EDGES(POSITION,POSSIBLY ORIENTATION),POSITION OTHER CORNERS,ORIENT OTHER CORNERS,POSITION OTHER EDGES,ORIENT OTHER EDGES 28. BOTTOM LAYER,MIDDLE SIDES,ORIENT TOP SIDES,TOP CORNER POSITION, ..ORIENTATION,POSITION TOP SIDES 30.(8/17) SOLVE TWO LAYERS SIMULTANEOUSLY, THEN THIRD 30.(9/11) UPPER FACE EXCEPT ONE EDGE,LOWER CORNERS POSITIONED, ..ORIENTED,LOWER EDGES,LAST UPPER EDGE,MIDDLE POSITIONED, ..ORIENTED 31.(8/15) TOP CORNERS,TOP EDGES,BOTTOM CORNERS ORIENTED, ..POSITIONED,BOTTOM EDGES,MIDDLE POSITIONED, ..ORIENTED 31.(8/18) TOP CORNERS,TOP EDGES,(TURN CUBE OVER),TOP CORNERS POSITIONED, ..ORIENTED,REMAINING EDGES POSITION, ..ORIENTED 38. 2-METHODS 3 CONSECUTIVE LAYERS CORNERS FIRST (FOR SPEED) ONE OF THESE IS 120qtw 39. TIME CORNERS,BOTTOM,MIDDLE,TOP MOVE CORNERS,EDGES IN RANDOM ORDER AVERAGES 75qtw 41. 2 METHODS UPPER EDGES,UPPER CORNERS,(TURN OVER),MIDDLE, ORIENT EDGES,ORIENT CORNERS,PLACE CORNERS,PLACE EDGES UPPER EDGES,3 UPPER CORNERS,3 MIDDLE EDGES LAST UPPER CORNER,LAST MIDDLE EDGE,(TURN OVER) ORIENT EDGES,ORIENT CORNERS,PLACE CORNERS,PLACE EDGES As far as I can tell no two people who reported in detail solve the cube in quite the same way. INTRESTS IN THE CUBE: investigation of identities to calculate GOD's number application to the teaching of group theory training of mind and logic, something to do variations (tetrahedron, 10-sided, interesting faces) what different solving methods are analogy with quark confinement Combinatorial algorithims introducing others to the cube how people learn to solve cubes (AI) pretty patterns, cube graphics(for fun) determining GOD's number Showmanship, flaming about cubes in public cubing to attract or repel people analytic, as opposed to heuristic or exhaustive aids to solve the cube NON-CUBING INTRESTS OF PEOPLE: almost any types of puzzles, science fiction COMPUTERS!!!, ADVENTURE