The Rubik’s cube is a popular mechanical puzzle made up of 26 smaller cubes. It was invented by Hungarian architect Erno Rubik in 1974 and quickly became a hit worldwide. Solving the cube requires math and logic skills, and there are many tutorials available online. The name “Rubik’s Cube” is trademarked, but the toy itself is not.
A Rubik’s cube is a cube-shaped mechanical puzzle made up of 26 smaller cubes, with a rotating mechanism in the middle. To solve the puzzle, the user must rotate the smaller cubes so that each face of the larger cube has a uniform color. Cubing, as working on the Rubik’s cube is known, is an international pastime, and it is also possible to attend speed cubing championships and other competitions dedicated to showcasing cube skills.
The history of the Rubik’s cube begins in 1974, when Erno Rubik, Hungarian architect and sculptor, created the basic project. He called his invention the Magic Cube, and indeed it was originally designed as an architectural puzzle; he wanted to see if it was possible to create an articulated cube made up of miniature cubes. While Rubik worked on the project, he realized that the finished cube could also be used to create a challenging mind puzzle, and Magic Cubes went on sale in Hungary.
From Hungary the invention spread and in 1980 Ideal Toys imported the cube into the United States, changing its name to Rubik’s Cube. The toy quickly became a hit, as did the many variations on the basic Rubik’s Cube design. Most science and toy stores today carry at least the traditional Rubik’s Cube, and variations of the design are often available, including versions with
pictures on faces instead of just colors.
Solving a Rubik’s Cube is a challenge, and there are numerous tutorials on the internet presenting various ways to solve these infamous puzzles. Many people have a specific system and theory that they use, often relying on solving individual layers of the puzzle, rather than trying to solve the whole puzzle all at once. Rotating the parts of a Rubik’s Cube to solve it requires a good sense of math and logic and can be either a daunting challenge or a frustration, depending on the person trying to solve the cube.
The story behind the name of Rubik’s cube is quite interesting. When Erno Rubik first filed a patent on the Magic Cube, he only did it in Hungary, failing to file for an international patent. This means that it is not possible to infringe the patent for this puzzle outside Hungary. As the toy began to spread internationally, Ideal Toys created the new name specifically to be able to register it, with the aim of promoting the toy under that name and securing a strong market share. Therefore, the name “Rubik’s Cube” is trademarked, but the toy itself is not.
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