From hirsh@cs.rutgers.edu Tue Apr 23 12:26:23 1991 Return-Path: Received: from pei.rutgers.edu by life.ai.mit.edu (4.1/AI-4.10) id AA26402; Tue, 23 Apr 91 12:26:23 EDT Received: by pei.rutgers.edu (5.59/SMI4.0/RU1.4/3.08) id AA09651; Tue, 23 Apr 91 12:26:19 EDT Sender: Haym Hirsh Date: Tue, 23 Apr 91 12:26:16 EDT From: Haym Hirsh Reply-To: Haym Hirsh To: cube-lovers@life.ai.mit.edu Subject: rubik's magic alternate coloring Cc: Haym Hirsh Message-Id: After seeing my collection of Rubik's magics in my office, a student came by yesterday with a variation I hadn't seen before. It is a 2x4 version, but the 8 "tiles" are colored differently. Each of the eight tiles has a "four-square" pattern -- the square is divided into four regions, each colored red, blue, yellow, or green. The center of each is black with Rubik's signature on it. The tiles thus look something like the following: +----+----+ |Blue|Yell| | / \ ow| +--+ +--+ | \ / | |Red |Gree| +----+----+ (with Rubik's signature in the center) Both the front and back tiles have this four-square pattern. However, on one side the order of colors on the tiles are all as in the picture above, and on the other side four have that order and the remaining four have yellow and green switched (so that blue and yellow are on opposite corners). I don't know if this description gets the idea across to those who have never seen one like this, but I'm more interested in those who have seen it. Is anyone familiar with this version, and if so, what is the goal pattern to reach? It turns out that the student worked at Bradlees (a downscale version of Kmart, if such a thing is possible) four years ago, and he got it from the returns bin, without any packaging. I've looked at it briefly, and didn't come up with an obvious goal pattern. About the only other info that may be helpful is that the copyright for this variation is 1987. The copyright for the original 2x4 is 1986, and similarly for the 2x2 I have; the 2x6 is copyright 1987. Finally, since I am on the topic of the magic, I have heard a number of times about yet another version of the magic that can be folded into a cube. Does anyone know any sources for it? (I thought for a while that the alternate-coloring version may be it, but it seems to have the same connectivity as the standard 2x4.) Thanks for any help! Haym (hirsh@cs.rutgers.edu)