Date: 4 DEC 1980 2300-EST From: DR at MIT-MC (David M. Raitzin) To: CUBE-LOVERS at MIT-MC Hi! I'm new to this list, since I just found out about it, so I might repeat some stuff that has already been said. I guess I want to say two things. First of all, I saw Greenberg's message saying that some guy who has written a book on the cube or something does not believe that solutions in two minutes are possible. Well, even though I can not do it in two minutes (it takes me just under four minutes to do it), my roommate does it in a minute and a half (I timed it, so it's no lie). Second, I've never heard of anyone using the same algorithm that me and my roommate use. We get the top row first, then we get the second row, and finally get the third. The only other solution that I've seen (and/or heard of), and that is from anyone else who has solved the cube, is getting all the eight corners, and then getting the middles. (Greenberg's Lisp machine program also solves it in this manner. In fact, I was quite surprised to see it done in that manner, but as time went on, I realized that everyone I know of does it in that manner too.) Is that true? Does anyone have any other algorithm to the two I've described? Also, I've heard that the most optimum solution to a randomized cube is at most 41 moves. Is that true? And if so, what is the algorithm it uses. I immagine that algorithm was achieved on a computer is that true? As you can see, I have a lot of questions, but this is my first letter to the mailing list. Dave