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Know your Rubik’s cube

LAYERS

  1. Top Layer (U - Up):

    • This is the topmost 3x3 section of the cube.

    • It contains 9 small squares, and usually, in a solved cube, all squares will have the same color.

  2. Middle Layer (M - Middle):

    • The middle layer refers to the second row of 9 squares on each of the four side faces of the cube (the pieces in the middle of the cube).

    • These pieces are fixed in relation to each other, and they rotate as part of the turning of the cube.

  3. Bottom Layer (D - Down):

    • The bottom layer is the face opposite the top layer (usually yellow in a solved cube).

    • Like the top, the bottom contains 9 squares, and all of these squares should also match in color when the cube is solve

FACES

Each flat surface is a face. There are 6 faces on a Rubik’s Cube. In Rubik's Cube notation, each face is represented by a letter to simplify communication and algorithms.

Here's a typical key for each face of the cube:

  • U = Up (Top face)

  • D = Down (Bottom face)

  • L = Left face

  • R = Right face

  • F = Front face

  • B = Back face

CENTERS

  • There are 6 center pieces on a Rubik's Cube, one for each face.

  • These pieces are single tiles located in the middle of each face.

  • The center pieces are fixed to the internal core of the Rubik’s Cube. This means they don't move relative to each other. No matter how much you twist the cube, the center pieces stay in their relative positions.

  • Important point: The color of the center pieces defines the color for each face of the Rubik's Cube. For example, if the center piece on the top face is white, the entire top layer will have white when the cube is solved.

EDGES

  • There are 12 edge pieces on a standard 3x3 Rubik’s Cube.

  • Each edge piece has two colored tiles, which correspond to the two adjacent center pieces on the cube. For example, an edge piece that lies between the white and blue faces will have one white tile and one blue tile.

CORNERS

  • There are 8 corner pieces on a standard 3x3 Rubik’s Cube.

  • Each corner piece has three colored tiles, corresponding to the three adjacent center pieces of the cube.

MOTIONS (Face Movements)

When you turn the faces of the Rubik's Cube, these are the types of movements, or motions, that can occur:

  • Clockwise (90 degrees): A clockwise rotation of a face is represented by the letter alone (e.g., R means the Right face rotates 90° clockwise).

  • Counterclockwise (90 degrees): A counterclockwise rotation of a face is represented by the letter followed by an apostrophe (e.g., R' means the Right face rotates 90° counterclockwise).

  • 180-degree Turn: A 180-degree rotation of a face is represented by the letter followed by 2 (e.g., R2 means the Right face rotates 180 degrees).

  • U: Turn the Up face 90° clockwise.

  • U': Turn the Up face 90° counterclockwise.

  • U2: Turn the Up face 180°.

ALGORITHM KEY

An algorithm is a series of moves that you perform in a specific order to solve the Rubik's Cube. Each algorithm is made up of a combination of the face notations (U, D, L, R, F, B) along with the clockwise (**normal**), counterclockwise (**apostrophe**), and 180-degree (**2**) moves

  • R U R' U': This is a common algorithm used in various solving methods. It means:

  • R = Turn the Right face 90° clockwise.

  • U = Turn the Up face 90° clockwise.

  • R' = Turn the Right face 90° counterclockwise.

  • U' = Turn the Up face 90° counterclockwise.