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Sudden Algorithm Forgetful Syndrome

V-te

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Ok, so I will be in the process of a solve, and right as I see a very familiar Pll (Like T or Y) I begin performing the algorithm, Only to find half-way that I have forgotten. The solve ends up as a DNF.
The thing that bothers me about this is that the algorithms I am forgetting have been one of my most fluent algorithms, Why is it that I just forget them so suddenly, only to have my memory come back in about 3 solves?

Has this ever happened to you?
 

IamWEB

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I once forgot one of the 'W' OLLs, I felt dumb.
I could still do the mirrored one though, and looked at it to determine where I messed up.
I felt dumb. V_V

This happens sometimes, for various reasons.
 

IamWEB

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@ Cride5 Hehe, but I don't understand why this happens, with increasing frequency.... Nothing like this happened yesterday

Something told me that by your extremely fast reply that you hadn't seen my post before starting this one.
You edited your post.

Just noting that I noticed. :eek:
 

4Chan

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Count me in, but only with algs I've recently learned. I've noticed algs have a certain flow, and once they're started, they come back easily. (well, at least for me, so i dont make baseless generalizations)
 

Cride5

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Its kinda the opposite for me. If its a slightly dodgy alg I'll probably remember how I remembered it (if that makes any sense). With totally engrained algs all it takes is something to interrupt the flow and I'm lost :eek: Because these algs are totally committed to muscle memory, I've actually forgotten the exact sequence and can only recall it if I actually perform the alg on the cube.

This is part of the reason I suck at OH cubing. I can't actually 'remember' a lot of my PLL algs :fp

@ Cride5 Hehe, but I don't understand why this happens, with increasing frequency.... Nothing like this happened yesterday
Prolly because you're getting better at your algs, and performing them without thinking :)
 
Last edited:

wrbcube4

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I was in a competition and I was doing 4x4. The cut-off was 2 minutes for the first two solves and I got a 1:59 or something like that so I got to do the average of 5. On the last two solves I got orientation parity and forgot the algorithm and ended getting two 3:30 solves. It was dissapointing but at least I got to do the average of 5.
 
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I've had this problem too. Even after I've had an algorithm memorized for about a month. But I found that the more it happens, the less it happens. It's why, as Thrawst said, it's not best to cram before a competition.
 

qqwref

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I don't have this problem except for algs that I have only recently learned and aren't really familiar yet. When you learn an alg, watch what happens to the blocks of pieces - I find that that gives you a better feel for going on than just learning the fingertricks. Muscle memory is useful, but it's not the best idea for every circumstance. That way, if you get stuck in the middle of the alg or you're trying to do the alg one-handed or on a bad cube, you can still remember what to do since you can always see the blocks and figure out where they need to go.

For instance the T-perm takes the FR F2L pair out (R U R' U'), pushes it back in and then takes the FL pair out (R' F R2 U' R'), does a U', and then returns the FL pair to where it should be (U' R U R' F').
 

Robert-Y

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I don't really forget the OLL Parity alg for 4x4x4, but I sometimes seem to forget to do some turns or I do some extra turns in the middle of the algorithm by accident... Perhaps this is to do with my brain being tired or something...
 

LNZ

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I sometimes forget the alg that permutes three edge cubies in triangle form with the cross formed into the solved state. But apart from that, I'm pretty good as I only use about 16 algs to solve a 3x3 cube at the moment.

The other sometimes forgotten alg is the one that twirls two edge cubies 180 degrees apart on the top layer. This is used alot to get to the cross on the top layer.
 

badmephisto

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I sometimes run into the problem too. I forget OLLs. Usually its much easier to "forget" if you set up about 10 OLL cases on 10 cubes, and try to solve them all. So you dont go F2L -> OLL, but just directly OLL. I know it sounds like it should make no difference, but for me it does. So sometimes when I cant remember the OLL, i try to fool myself into thinking that I just finished the F2L, and then I do something with my hands and it solves the OLL. Its so annoying. I cant even go back and figure out what I did sometimes. Fully automatic spooky action :D

edit:
Does anyone seem to forget some algorithms when you execute them slowly?
Absolutely :D Muscle memory is weird. The speed has to be right.
 
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