Cube is also a good challenge for machine learning systems and robots.
Italian theoretical physicist and composer Maria Mannone invented the musical instrument “CubeHarmonic” co-developed with Japanese collaborators. “It’s a magic cube with musical chords on each side and a note on each side,” she explained in an email. “By disrupting the cube, we disrupt the musical chords.”
Parisian street artist Invader creates “Magic Cube” works, figurative canvases composed of hundreds of cubes like mosaics. The Invader version of Les Demoiselles d’Avignon was Picasso’s first Cubist painting, using 1,848 cubes to create a replica of the same size as the original.
Lauren Rose is a mathematician at Bard College in New York, where she takes courses for both math majors (who delve into algebra) and non-STEM majors (who learn to solve difficult problems, explore patterns, and calculate their laws). Use the cube as a teaching tool. “There’s a lot of depth to this puzzle,” Dr. Ross told the conference in San Francisco. Part of the reason for the Cube’s longevity, she believes, is that it’s “so convenient and fun.”
“It’s a great way to make people want to learn math,” she added.
So far, all Platonic solids have been transformed into twisty puzzle variations. Based on the original, there are the 4×4×4 Cube Revenge, the 5×5×5 Professor’s Cube, all the way up to the 7×7×7, the largest cube used in the World Cube Association competitions. The 21 x 21 x 21 is the largest mass-market cube ($1,499.99). 256 x 256 x 256 exists only in the virtual world and was solved by a team of six in 633,494 moves in approximately 96 hours of cumulative time.
During a question-and-answer session, Dr. Rokicki asked Mr. Rubik about the hollow, hollow cube of Japanese inventor Katsuhiko Okamoto, who has created dozens of variations of the original cube. Somehow, the Void lacks the central cube and internal mechanisms that hold Mr. Rubik’s signature invention together. When it comes to this topic, Mr. Rubik becomes philosophical again. “Perfection is an idealistic encounter,” he said. He understands curiosity-driven exploration, adding something and taking something away. He prefers the classic combination of cubes and colors. “I also like the sound and movement of the Cube,” he said.
Mr. Rubik later added that he was not too keen on puzzles designed solely for the sake of puzzles. “I love the puzzling aspects of life and the universe itself,” he said.
