From cube-lovers-errors@mc.lcs.mit.edu Tue Dec 14 16:06:52 1999 Return-Path: Received: from sun28.aic.nrl.navy.mil (sun28.aic.nrl.navy.mil [132.250.84.38]) by mc.lcs.mit.edu (8.9.1a/8.9.1-mod) with SMTP id QAA20286 for ; Tue, 14 Dec 1999 16:06:51 -0500 (EST) Precedence: bulk Errors-To: cube-lovers-errors@mc.lcs.mit.edu Message-Id: <000701bf442c$151f8420$ea023dd4@wschwi> From: "Christ van Willegen" To: Subject: MegaMinx notes Date: Sat, 11 Dec 1999 22:34:41 +0100 I just found back my notes on the MegaMinx. Here's what I have. It isn't much, because I solve it as a 'regular' cube, with the exception of a few formulas. The last layer needs these steps: - Correctly flip the edge pieces. I use the formulas F U R U' R' F' to flip the 'Front' and 'Right' upper edge pieces. F R U R' U' F' flips the 'Front' and 'Right-back' upper edge pieces. Repeat one of these formulas as needed. - Correctly align the edge pieces. I have two formulas for this as well. Formula 1 assumes that the edge pieces 'Front' and 'Left' are correctly aligned, and keeps these in place: R U R' U R U2 R' rotates the other three edge pieces around. Formula 2 assumes that the edge pieces 'Front' and 'Left-back' are correctly aligned, and keeps these in place: R U R' U2 R U R' rotates the other three edge pieces around. - Correctly align the corner pieces. I only have on of these. The two corner pieces in the 'R' layer are kept in the same position: U2 R U2' L' U2 R' U2' L (note the notation: U2 is not the same as U2'!) rotates the other three corner pieces around. - Correctly flip the corner pieces. The formula I've used for 20 years (is this possible? When I started cubing, I was quite small. I can't really remember when it was) is the following: Use R F' R' F R F' R' F to rotate the corner piece FRU clockwise. Repeat until this piece is correctly aligned. Then, rotate the U layer until you find another corner piece that's not correctly flipped. Repeat the formula until it's correctly flipped (later, I found out that F' R F R' F' R F R' rotates a corner piece in the ccw direction). This also works nicely on the Megaminx. What I like in my solution of the last layer of the Megaminx: - The formulas are 'standard' Cube moves, adapted for another geometry. - Most only use three layers. Only one (conceptually) uses 4 layers (The one to align corner pieces). Since the three layers meeting at every corner of the Megaminx are identical in behaviour as the layers of the Cube, the formulas are easy to grasp (and were easy to adapt from the Cube moves). Lots of manuals coming with cubes nowadays use the E layer for some goals (I have to admit: My formulas for the Cube include this one for the Edge pieces on the third layer: (R E)4, then rotate the upper layer until another incorrectly flipped edge piece is in the UR position). These can clearly _not_ be 'ported' to the Megaminx. My time for solving the Megaminx is about 10 minutes. My Cube time is still about 3 minutes (I know, I know: Layer-by-layer is _not_ a fast approach...) Well, that's all I have to say about the Megaminx for now... Happy Minxing! Christ van Willegen