What makes the Rubik’s cube stand the test of time?

Yesterday was the 29th anniversary of the invention of the Rubik’s cube, one of the world’s most famous brain teasers. Created by Erno Rubik, a Hungarian architect, designer and university professor, Rubik’s entered the Oxford English Dictionary in 1982. According to its Wikipedia reference, as of January 2009, 350 million cubes have sold worldwide, making it the world’s top-selling puzzle game. The Rubik’s cube has a baffling 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 possible combinations, and scientists have determined that the minimum number of moves to solve it is 25. The official Rubik’s site has plenty more information about the math behind the cube.

The Rubik’s cube is also a favorite amongst celebrities and intellectuals. Sometimes it is not in conventional ways, such as when Tiger Woods “solved” the puzzle in his own way. Others tackle the challenge head-on. For example, on January 29th, The Daily Show regular guest, scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson, was unable to leave the Green Room until he solved the Rubik’s cube in his gift bag. Tyson, who has a PhD in Astrophysics from Columbia University and heads up New York’s Hayden Planetarium, did manage to solve it.

Of course, that was just the 3×3. There’s also Rubik’s Professor 5×5, and we believe that Rubik’s Revenge 4×4 is actually even more difficult. While the Professor has a center anchor and follows a similar algorithm to the 3×3, the 4×4 requires entirely different moves to solve. While the Rubik’s cube is a timeless puzzle, constant innovation allows the Rubik’s team to continue to challenge us. Stay tuned for the Rubik’s 360, coming to Marbles soon.

Inspired by Rubik’s, I will be discussing the history behind time-tested brain teasers this week and next. Which puzzles or games do you consider to be classics?

~Lindsay