From cube-lovers-errors@oolong.camellia.org Mon May 12 23:04:11 1997 Return-Path: cube-lovers-errors@oolong.camellia.org Received: from oolong.camellia.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by oolong.camellia.org (8.6.12/8.6.12) with SMTP id XAA01370; Mon, 12 May 1997 23:04:10 -0400 Precedence: bulk Errors-To: cube-lovers-errors@oolong.camellia.org Date: Tue, 13 May 1997 03:27:02 BST From: David Singmaster Computing & Maths South Bank Univ To: whuang@ugcs.caltech.edu CC: cube-lovers@ai.mit.edu Message-ID: <009B42D5.FC6B2820.2@vax.sbu.ac.uk> Subject: Re: Extra-long Rubik's magic rings Several people have remarked about having broken strings on a version of Rubik's Magic. When one of mine first came apart, I thought it would be impossible to get it back together correctly as I thought there would be some critical weaving of the strings. However, once one examines it closely, one sees that no magic is needed. Simply rethread the strings along the correct paths and it works. All one needs is a small screwdriver to stretch the end of a loop over the corner of a panel. So it is much easier to assemble or to reassemble than one initially thinks and I'd encourage anyone who has a little manual dexterity to remake a broken one using strings from other ones. DAVID SINGMASTER, Professor of Mathematics and Metagrobologist School of Computing, Information Systems and Mathematics Southbank University, London, SE1 0AA, UK. Tel: 0171-815 7411; fax: 0171-815 7499; email: zingmast or David.Singmaster @sbu.ac.uk