From awechsle@bbn.com  Thu Feb 15 11:20:11 1996
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From: Allan Wechsler <awechsle@bbn.com>
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Date: Thu, 15 Feb 1996 11:20:09 -0500
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To: tmartin@accucomm.net
Cc: Cube-Lovers@ai.mit.edu
In-Reply-To: <199602151206.MAA09438@accucomm.net> (tmartin@accucomm.net)
Subject: Re: Resolution of the cube
Reply-To: awechsle@bbn.com

   Date: Thu, 15 Feb 1996 12:06:18 GMT
   From: "Thomas H. Martin" <tmartin@accucomm.net>

   My son has dug out my cube and has a burning interest in it now.  Also, he
   has revived my interest in it.  My question is, is there somewhere I can get
   the solution for him?  

   Tommy Martin
   Dublin, GA
   tmartin@accucomm.net

Now you've pushed my button.

When the cube first came out, a bunch of us at MIT were wild to solve
it.  There were _no_ published solutions.  At least three or four of
us solved the cube by ourselves, independently.  We twisted and
turned, drew arcane diagrams to show what went where, and although it
sometimes took a couple of weeks, we each managed it.

Then the books started to come out, and as far as I can tell, no one
ever solved it independently again.

The cube is a solvable puzzle.  It is challenging, but it eventually
yields to analysis and experimentation.  Why don't you and your son
_not_ cheat, and actually solve the thing?  You'll be the first to do
it on your own for more than a decade.

What fun is it to read the answer from a book?

-A