Why does nobody make a 44 degree turn before they start?

[cmhardw]

a 44 degree turn is more than 45 degrees in the prime direction

I just noticed this. Technically this is not true in this context. The end result of doing a less than 45 degree turn may be the same as the end result of doing a greater than 315 degree turn in the opposite direction. What's in question here is the actual degree of face spinning applied to any particular face of the cube, not the end result.

 

[Systemdertoten]

I fail to see any practical use for a 44 degree turn during inspection.

 

[Tim Major]

At a meetup, some were timing 1 move 2x2 scrambles, Faz was like, k, beat this (got some fast time).
I used this rule by doing a 44 degree~ R turn. I put it in front of the timer, then started the timer, move my hand out a bit then stopped the timer, flicking the cube slightly on the way.

^practical use

 

[Systemdertoten]

Touché. :rolleyes:

 

[Kenneth]

There is no rule against peeling stickers during inspection, so if you use stickers with magnets you can do some parts of the solve while inspecting, like the cross

Honestly, it is pretty obvious that if people started to do this (44 degree turn) the WCA would add a rule that prohibit it.

 

[irontwig]

Well Kenneth, that cube would have more possible moves thus making it illegal for competition.

 

[hr.mohr]

It's not done because it's against the spirit of the regulations and because it's no advantage.

 

[Hodari]

Honestly, it is pretty obvious that if people started to do this (44 degree turn) the WCA would add a rule that prohibit it.

Looks like there already IS one...
# A3c1) The competitor must not apply moves. Penalty: disqualification of the solve.
# A3c2) If the pieces of the puzzle are not fully aligned, then the competitor may fix it, only to align the faces (for cubes the alignment must not exceed 45 degrees).

It seems pretty clear that A3c2 is written like this in order to cover exactly this situation. It can only be used when the pieces are not fully aligned initially and only to correct this, NOT to further misalign them in order to make it easier to solve. Attempting to do so would then be considered to be applying a move and result in disqualification under A3c1

 

[Vincents]

I feel like this could be clarified in 2011. If anything, I don't think A3c2 should even be in there, because to make it airtight you would need to define what "fully aligned" means: is it +- 5 degrees? +- 15 degrees? You're never going to get 0 degrees anyway. Or do we define it by percentages? 5% off is "not fully aligned"?

The other way I can see A3c2 being interpreted is that you can "align" the faces however you want under 45 degrees in any direction, as I see "only to align the faces (for cubes the alignment must not exceed 45 degrees)" to mean that as long as you "fix your alignment" to something "under 45 degrees", it's okay. As long as your cube is not fully aligned to begin with, you can do whatever you want to it.

The fact that I even have two interpretations of this means it should get looked at.

 

[Vinny]

Yeah I just think the whole idea is stupid... And I would frown upon anyone who does this to save a whopping .01 or .02 seconds...

 

[ssb150388]

A3c2) If and only if the pieces of the puzzle are not fully aligned, then the competitor may fix it, only to align the faces (for cubes the alignment must not exceed 45 degrees).

Is this the easiest way to fix this?

 

[onionhoney]

Personally i won't do this even if it is permitted.
If you really want to save time after starting the timer, then try to make full use of your preinspection time to inspect the cube instead of making a 44° turn.

 

[dabest2500]

Maybe it would make it too easy to overshoot?

 

[Vincents]

Is this the easiest way to fix this?

The entire problem is that you have to define what fully aligned means.

 

[Moss]

This is an amazing idea, I'm not really familiar with WCA rules but I've read the first 2 pages and it seems legit. Some people said that 0.1s/0.2s won't change anything but actually this might help you beat the worlds record.

 

[~Phoenix Death~]

If you are not allowed to move the cube during inspection, and a move is over 45 degrees, why doesn't everyone make the first move only 44 degrees?

Because during those 15 seconds, I'm really gonna do my best to measure 44 degrees.

 

[aridus]

The entire problem is that you have to define what fully aligned means.

Not really. If "misaligned" means some large degree off of zero, it should logically follow that "aligned" should go towards the opposite, as close to zero as you can reasonably get.

By that, it does not logically follow that increasing the misalignment is somehow "fixing" the alignment. You don't have to know exactly what "aligned" is if you already know what you aren't supposed to do. I'd imagine the 44 degree rule is more of a demarcation of what face you are aligning to rather than a guide to how much you should align, since at exactly 45 it would become ambiguous.

 

[DavidWoner]

The regulations already address this.

-Puzzle is fully aligned.
-Competitor begins to turn towards 44 degree misalinment.
-Reaches any n<0 degree misalignment.
-Now the pieces of the puzzle are misaligned. A3c2 now comes into effect. (If the pieces of the puzzle are not fully aligned, then the competitor may fix it, only to align the faces (for cubes the alignment must not exceed 45 degrees). )
-Now only aligning moves are allowed, any further movement towards misalignment is illegal.

 

[hr.mohr]

This suggestion is an obvious attempt to abuse the regulations. It goes against the intent of the regulation and against the spirit of the WCA. Don't do it.

 

[Radu]

This topic is purely amazing! I love reading every post .