Keeping Math and Problem Solving Teaching Fresh

Rubik's cube has been around for roughly two generations and it continues to fascinate. This report will focus on the different facets and historical facts surrounding the cube and what has happened with the Cube over the years. The depth and breadth to which mathematics is needed to solve the cube as well as the different overall methods that can be used to solve the cube will be summarized. The different uses of the cube and the different ways in which the puzzle has been solved through the years will be mentioned. While it may seem like a pointless toy to many, the reach and magnitude of the Rubik's Cube over the years has been and remains palpable.

The Rubik's Cube was created in Budapest, Hungary by Erno Rubik. The year of its creation was 1974. Even Erno himself couldn't solve the cube until nearly a month had passed. The first prototype was wooden-colored and white but eventually evolved into the multi-color form that existed from 1975 onward. It began to be sold in toy shops, but only in Hungary, in 1977 but a worldwide distribution deal was procured and agreed upon in 1979. It was first called the "Magic Cube" but this name was later changed in 1980 to the Rubik's Cube. The cube was created by Erno Rubik as a means to demonstrate problems with a primary focus being spatial relationships. However, Rubik himself has always regarded the cube as a work of art and that it can be used to look at all of the different parts of the human condition including intelligence, problems, simplicity, complexity, stability, dynamism, order and chaos. The traditional cube is 3x3x3 but newer cubes are 4x4x4 or even 5x5x5. (Rubik's). Over the years, a number of books have been authored that assist in how to solve the Rubik's cube (Harris).

The need for mathematics to solve the cube is easy to spot once one knows about certain facts of the cube. There are 8 corner pieces that can be arranged in 8! Different ways. There are 38 different combinations for the corner pieces and each edge piece has two different possible orientations. The use of permutations and grouping is also fairly important in figuring out how to solve the cube. Legrange's Theorem is also something that can be applied when solving the cube (MIT). Beyond that, one has to understand degrees. For example, one has to know when to rotate part of the cube 90 degrees (one quarter rotation) or 180 degrees (a half rotation). However, the biggest part of solving the cube is to use the proper sequence of moves and algorithims to solve the cube (Rubik's) Modern uses of the cube very much mimic what Erno Rubik used and intended as many teachers use it to teach mathematics and problem solving. Indirectly, however, it can also be used to make lessons fresh and less boring to students. Indeed, mathematics and problem solving teaching can tend to be dry and bland in the eyes of many and the use of unique objects like the Rubik's Cube is seen by many as a way to freshen things up for students and educators alike (Boston.com)

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