The Ideal Solution

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Revision as of 21:19, 22 August 2017 by Spacecircles (talk | contribs) (rewrote this personal testimony into something vaguely more encyclopedic)
The original solution for the Rubik's Cube as printed by Ideal Toy Corp in the 1980's.
The original solution booklet by Ideal Toy Corp: The Ideal Solution

The Ideal Solution is the somewhat corners first solving method presented in the 1980s by Ideal Toys, the company responsible for producing the original Rubik's Cubes. The method is somewhat unorthodox, being that it solves the corners first of the first layer, then solves the first layer (or top according to the instructions), then it does the same with the Last layer (or bottom), and finally finishes by solving the 4 middle layer edges.

Overview

The Ideal Solution has advantages and disadvantages over the Layer by layer method sold with modern Rubik's brand cubes ([1]).

Advantages:

  • This method is generally easy to learn, requiring few algorithms to solve the cube and is a logical method for beginners.
  • When solving cubes of a higher order than 3x3 (the 4x4 in particular) parity can be easier to solve at the end. This is because you solve the corners before solving the remaining edges, ensuring that your corners are always correct. If parity is going to occur, it will always occur on the edges. With other 4x4 methods, beginners can sometimes get parity with both edges and corners, creating more work during your solve.
  • The Ideal Solution is an unusual solve these days, since modern beginner solutions typically use Layer by layer approaches. If you like feeling special, this may be an enjoyable thing for you to know.
  • Every solution style has unique algorithms crafted for that method. The unusual algorithms could be considered a bonus.

Drawbacks:

  • A slow and inefficient method. The booklet boasts a solve time of 2 minutes, although a time close to 1 minute is possible. The extended time comes from how you must perform several of the algorithms; they require you to turn the whole cube to shift your grip as you go through them.
  • Isn't easy to get the on the source material except in online copies which may or may not be available.

Resources

A PDF of the original packet can be downloaded here.