Developing the easiest beginners method ever

[Erik]

Hi guys,
I've been searching for the easiest beginners method to teach people ever. The idea is it will be so simple that you don't need to learn any algorithms besides the sexy move and solve everything with this 'algorithm'. I believe teaching people algorithms or notation will make them like 'ooo wtf?' plus they have to memorize something.
I managed to come up with methods for all steps besides edge permutation at the end. I could just solve this problem by teaching a U perm or the M D2 M' trick but the U perm is an algorithm which I want to avoid and the M D2 M' trick works perfect besides when having Z or H...
Any thoughts? It is ok when the 'algorithm' used is the sexy move from the left side I think.

For mods: sorry if this is not the appropriate section, but I don't think the 'help/question' thread is the right thing to discuss this.

 

[Raffael]

i found that most beginners understand M D' M' then AUF quite well when i explain it like "take the edge out then turn upper layer and insert it at the right spot."
how do you explain corner permutation?
(R' D' R AUF in my case)

 

[ChrisBird]

Hey Erik,
If I understand your post correctly, you want to solve the cube using only the Sexy Move (R U R' U'), if so, the user Cride5 posted a link a while ago with this exact idea.

Maybe he has what you are looking for?

http://cube.crider.co.uk/beginner.html

~Chris

 

[aronpm]

the M D2 M' trick works perfect besides when having Z or H...

Sure it does, it's just longer.

 

[Erik]

@Raffael: then how do you easily explain that sometimes there is no right spot like at Z perm? In my experience it's very easy to teach this to people in real life since you can see what they do wrong and then quickly correct them so they 'see the light'. I'm looking for an easy fool-proof way to do edge PLL

@Chris: Kind of but that method is not very smart, plus it does not deal with edge PLL ;-) (it would be my last step in my method)

 

[Akuma]

Isn't there a sexy-move method already?
I'm quite confident there is.

It's basically edges first and then corners, edges being solved intuatively and corners being solved using the sexy move.
I've both read and seen video about it.

 

[Raffael]

maybe teach edge permutation first and corner permutation as a last step?
this way, there's always at least one edge in correct place.
could you shortly outline the steps of your method?
i think an essential part of an easy beginners LBL method is a certain routine the person can stick to.
as in:
edges first layer, corners first layer
edges second layer, no corners involved
orient edges LL, orient corners LL
permute edges LL, permute corners LL


EDIT:
you could include the H and Z situation as an addition for when the beginner has gotten used to the cube.
(...when all corner are allready in place, simply swap two times two edges...)

 

[Erik]

Akuma: I want the easiest method, not another sexy move method like Chris pointed out.
Raffael: solving edge permutation first would destroy my idea of corner permutation ;-) maybe I should go with the M U2 M' after all... but it's not very elegant since it does not have anything to do with sexy move.

 

[tim]

Isn't there a sexy-move method already?
I'm quite confident there is.

It's basically edges first and then corners, edges being solved intuatively and corners being solved using the sexy move.
I've both read and seen video about it.

The 8355 method is pretty close to what you describe. You can only use the sexy move if you turn the cube upside down, though. Recognizing cases might become harder that way. Therefore i teach R' D' R D for permuting/orienting corners.

I made the experience while teaching 8355, that people understand the 83 part pretty easily (including the keyhole concept). Teaching them how to orient edges by using only the last slot and the last layer also isn't too hard. But everyone had big trouble understanding how to permute edges by sune-like moves. Showing them one edge 3-cycle using <R,U> and teaching them how to recognize different cases was easier then teaching them the general concept of hiding an edge and moving another edge into its place.

So the 8355 method combined with some M D2 M' like commutators might be the easiest beginner method. (I also made the experience, that people understand M D2 M' pretty well. But they usually don't get why the F2L are restored after you've solved all edges)

My idea: Use 83 up to the last slot. Use the last slot to orient edges and solve the last E-layer edge. Fix parity*. Then use M D2 M' to permute edges and then use sexy move / R' D' R D to orient and permute the last 5 corners.
*: Fixing parity by using a U move might be hard to explain. Beginners (and even more experienced cubers) don't get why you can't solve 2 edges. So "Turn U until as much edges as possible are solved" just doesn't work.

btw. It's also debatable if M D2 M' is easier then M D M'. Pro: You don't have to remember which direction you used to hide the edge. Contra: By using D2 you move the edge from UF into the M layer. So it might not be obvious where the edge really lands.

/edit: There's alreay a sexy move method from Conrad: http://cube.crider.co.uk/beginner.html. Didn't know it :/. The last 5 edges don't seem to be particularly easy, though.

 

[Kenneth]

Conrads [wiki]Sexy Method[/wiki] is based on 8355.

Erik, does it have to be sexy? There are other quite intuitive ways to handle Z and H, M2 U algs = you move one pair of opposite edges to D using M2, then you adjust the U layer so you can swap next pair in U for the one in D...

Edit, eh, sorry, forgot you need a E2 M' E2 M' in the Z case..

 

[Godmil]

Out of curiosity, do you teach people to be colour neutral?
I just remember Rowe and Faz saying that they started out colour neutral which is why they find it so easy, which made me regret teaching people to start with a white cross.

 

[FatBoyXPC]

Erik, why do you say it's not very smart? It appears like he does deal with EPLL, it looks like you basically do OEPLL in the same step, then you flip the cube over and SM the corners into D.

 

[Erik]

@Tim: thanks for sharing your experiences, I might just go with M D2 M' (btw I think D2 has a clear advantage over D)
@Kenneth: preferably sexy yes everyone likes sexy.
@Godmil: this method is supposed to be the easiest method, not the best method as a stepping stone for speedcubing, actually only 2 people out of the like... 30 people I tought actually got slightly into speedcubing (both have official bests of sub-20). Just for the sake of explaining its easier to say: 'look for corners with white in it' than to say 'look for corners which have the colour of your cross'

 

[Godmil]

...its easier to say: 'look for corners with white in it' than to say 'look for corners which have the colour of your cross'

Ah yes, that's a very good point.

 

[Stefan]

sexy lexy sexy' lexy' and lexy sexy lexy' sexy'?
Or sexy lexy sexy*5 lexy*5 if you don't like inversion?

 

[Erik]

Stefan exactly that is what I was looking for! Thanks, I feel stupid for not finding that myself since I knew the sexy lexy one but not that sexy 5 = sexy (knew but didn't realize). Its a bit guessing if sexy lexy sexy 5 lexy 5 is easier to teach than M D2 M' though.. .hmmmm

 

[Stefan]

I think those inverses are trivial, especially since you can see how they re-insert the front F2L pairs so it's hard to get wrong.