Rubik's Cube Proof Cut To 25 Moves 386
KentuckyFC writes "A scrambled Rubik's cube can be solved in just 25 moves, regardless of the starting configuration. Tomas Rokicki, a Stanford-trained mathematician, has proven the new limit (down from 26 which was proved last year) using a neat piece of computer science. Rather than study individual moves, he's used the symmetry of the cube to study its transformations in sets. This allows him to separate the 'cube space' into 2 billion sets each containing 20 billion elements. He then shows that a large number of these sets are essentially equivalent to other sets and so can be ignored. Even then, to crunch through the remaining sets, he needed a workstation with 8GB of memory and around 1500 hours of time on a Q6600 CPU running at 1.6GHz. Next up, 24 moves."
Which 25 moves? (Score:5, Funny)
You only need one (Score:4, Funny)
obligatory (Score:1, Funny)
Imagine a Beowulf cluster of those!
Re:Which 25 moves? (Score:5, Funny)
Left, right, right, down, down, left, up, right, up, up, left, down, down, right, up, down, left, right, up, left, down, down, right, up, left.
Just a guess ;)
Re:Which 25 moves? (Score:4, Funny)
Annoying my older brother (Score:2, Funny)
The next big thing in GREEN TECH (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Which 25 moves? (Score:1, Funny)
DUH!
Re:Which 25 moves? (Score:4, Funny)
Comment removed (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Annoying my older brother (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Annoying my older brother (Score:4, Funny)
Zero moves.... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:1.6ghz? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Damn. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Annoying my older brother (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Which 25 moves? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Damn. (Score:4, Funny)
next project: getting a date! (Score:4, Funny)
However I've noticed a problem: if I introduce a parameter to model a female's response to this research, the spaces collapse to zero, i.e., a null set.
I find this quite puzzling. Simply by examining my chances of getting laid, I reduce my chances to zero.
Did I mention I can solve the Rubik's cube in 25 moves?
Suboptimal Nonsolution (Score:5, Funny)
Wow, it really works (Score:5, Funny)
Re:You only need one (Score:5, Funny)
The answer is that it takes three licks to get to the center of a standard Rubik's cube.
Re:Which 25 moves? (Score:5, Funny)
Yeah...24 moves.. (Score:2, Funny)
Re:1.6ghz? (Score:4, Funny)
pffffft (Score:3, Funny)
pfffft... Java
Re:1.6ghz? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Which 25 moves? (Score:5, Funny)
The old 26 move algorithm was the same except 'select' then 'start'
Re:Which 25 moves? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Wow, it really works (Score:5, Funny)
Re:next project: getting a date! (Score:3, Funny)
Apparently, this video [youtube.com] explains how to do it in 5 steps, much simpler even than solving the Rubik's cube.
Re:Which 25 moves? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Which 25 moves? (Score:5, Funny)
Those sound familiar, but I can't be sure - don't have anyone's thighs wrapped around my head at the moment...
Re:Which 25 moves? (Score:1, Funny)
But to answer your question, SELECT is for the two-player variant, and we all know geeks kids have no friends.
Re:Annoying my older brother (Score:4, Funny)
One day I decided to look up the algorithm to beat it, and you can imagine how I felt when I realized that the stickers had been removed and there was no solution. I nearly pulled a Ballmer, but I happened to be sitting in the only chair in the room. Not that it stopped me from trying to throw it.
Re:Which 25 moves? (Score:2, Funny)
I'll save you the trouble of counting (Score:2, Funny)
Re:You only need one (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Annoying my older brother (Score:5, Funny)
Re:1.6ghz? (Score:5, Funny)
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Re:Which 25 moves? (Score:1, Funny)
I am the pusher robot. I shove around the blind people. DO NOT trust the Shover Robot.
We are here to protect you We are here to protect you from the terrible secret of space
Re:You only need one (Score:4, Funny)
Amateurs! (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Which 25 moves? (Score:5, Funny)
brush with greatness (Score:4, Funny)
Nice guy and all, but it took me half an hour to finish shaking his hand.
Re:Distributed computing (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Wow, it really works (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Wow, it really works (Score:5, Funny)
Persons without Asperger Syndrome Support Group (Score:3, Funny)