Good Afternoon fellow bloggers for the last time. First, I would like to share an impressive piece of artwork that a man created using over 4,000 cubes. I am going to share with you my findings from this project in the form of my last reflective statement for the class I had the great opportunity of doing this project.

1.       When I started, my first intentions for my 20 time experience was to be able to solve a Rubik’s cube. Through my journey this semester, I have learned how to solve Rubik’s cubes left and right. I take my cube with me lots of places because it gives me something to do with my hands.

2.       The impact of my project on others has been more than I initially expected. I have over 200 page views on my blog from family, friends, teachers and other random people from all over. I was able to auction off a cube as a part of my expo exhibit back in May. Lastly, I’ve inspired my siblings to try and solve the cube and fellow classmates to take up cubing once again. As far as a positive impact on people in the community, my unique 20 time topic generated fun discussion and if I wanted to pursue cubing further, I could set up a Rubik’s cube club for other motivated students here at Dow High.

3.       A first roadblock was looking for my old cube, to no avail. Next, it was a little bit difficult to come up with interesting things to blog about aside from my methodology in solving the steps I was stuck on. Lastly, the biggest challenge for me was actually solving the cube for the first time, but now I solve it daily as a time to just get my mind off whatever may be stressing me out.

4.       Some new learning gained through this project experience is determination, logical thinking, and perseverance. These learning lessons changed the course of the project in a small way because it became a challenge of Josh internal conflict rather than Josh vs Cube conflict.

5.       The thing about this kind of learning that works for me is that the project is hands on and I can see and manipulate the problem to find the solution rather than have to imagine it and manipulate it in my brain.

6.       The thing about this kind of learning that is a challenge for me is that I have trouble remembering the different combinations of spinning cube sections to solve the layers.

7.       I would definitely classify this project as a success.

8.       I estimate I spent about 2 hours on my project every week. One hour a week could contribute to my blog posts, research for interesting material, and work on projects and presentations. The other hour would be comprised of random 5 or 10 minute blurbs of time when I just wanted to cube rather than do other homework. It’s kind of a therapy for me in my busy and stressful, yet fun life.

9.       My 20 time project most closely relates to the inquirer and risk taker IB learner profiles. Inquirer because I have always talked to my family and friends who have cubed. Risk taker is also applicable because I had never solved a cube before and I was kind of nervous about failing a project with such a single, seemingly simple goal.

1   11. Written communication, oral communication, and technological skills were all used for this 20 time project that are also used in English class. The Written communication coming in the form of the bi-weekly blogs, the oral communication coming with the check in meetings with Mrs. Hechlik, and of course the 20 time sharing fair at Northwood University. Lastly, media skills are needed to fully complete this project with picture uploads and powerpoint presentations to express my learnings from this project.

1   12. I would tell teachers to go for it with this assignment regardless of if they’ve done it before or not. The opportunities and take-away’s from this experience are definitely worth one day of class time every week. I would tell them to hold a sharing fair with 2 or 3 hours for friends and family to come see the projects, as well as students to check out other students work.

113.  I would tell fellow students to participate in the project wholeheartedly because the things you can learn are fun and great to contrast the typical routine of high school life. Keep up with the progress on your project, the blogs, and just overall, try and take as much as you can from the experience.

   14. Yes, I will keep my cube and continue to solve it after this project is wrapped up next week in my lightning talk.

   DO THE PROJECT AGAIN, IT’S GREAT!!!!

TThe questions to my responses can be viewed on the link below...

http://moodle.mps.k12.mi.us/high/mod/resource/view.php?id=43403

Its been a pleasure sharing my findings with you, hopefully you learned something interesting

 like I did. 

Have a fantastic day, and happy Rubik's cubing!!!!!!

Week 4 of Rubik's Cube Solving Quest

Happy 40th Birthday!!!!!!

No, not to you readers, but to the reason this blog is in existence. The Rubik's Cube celebrated its 40th birthday this past month, an as an honor of the occasion I solved the cube for the first time. I know for many of you who have found success sooner than I, this is not monumental achievement, but for the purpose of this project for me, it was a notable point of my semester. Below are images of the completed "yellow cross" that i was able to solve after completing the bottom white face and the first two rows of the four sides. You can see the white bottom side, as well as the orange, blue, green, and red sides are all complete aside from the last layer. I was able to fix that in a matter of minutes through even more trial and error. Along with how to solve a cube, this project has lengthened my patience and determination in trying something and not giving up until success. I'm pretty sure this is the second to last blogpost I will be doing because the due date for this assignment is rapidly approaching. I really feel as if the cube is making a comeback and after all the interest and positive feedback I generated through choosing this topic for 20 time, I may have played my part. If you have any questions on how to get through certain steps, the best guide I could find was the one by the rubik's company and can be accessed by the link below. They had great picture explanation and tutorial in words to match. That's all the update I have, talk to you next time!

http://rubiks.com/solving-guide/3x3

Week 3 of Rubiks Cube Solving Quest

Good Afternoon my Rubik's cube solving followers.

Since the last time I posted, I shared that I was having troubles at the white cross, two color block step. I got together with some fellow students who know how, and have solved cubes before. One of them had even had experience solving a 4x4 cube. Its even harder than the 3x3 I'm struggling with.

If you're confused as to what I mean, check this out.......



There are numerous variations off of the original 3x3 puzzle which more advanced puzzle solvers undertake as cubing projects. The people who helped me learn some of the steps that I needed to master to move on were great teachers. My project coaches were great!! They explained the steps while letting me manipulate the cube, which was outstanding. They then demonstrated their mastery by both solving the cube in under 5 minutes.

The best sites that have helped me memorize the algorithms and sequences are

http://solvethecube.com/

and

http://rubiks.com

The biggest thing I have taken away in learning to solve this cube is that once you get to the end of a step, don't be discouraged that you may need to rearrange previously solved sides. The algorithms work and there has been documentation of successes in any road blocks that you may encounter. I am currently able to solve the white cross, two colored block into the row solving methods. I am hoping to be able to complete the bottom and first two rows with all four faces by the end of the weekend before my upcoming project fair. For this event I am going to get additional cubes for my stand, and make the visual display board for people to see my blog site and hopefully check it out.

Maybe someday I will be as fast as world champion solvers like Feliks,

check it out & talk to you next time!!!

2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D8xcpauirEZQ&ei=XR1tU7unA8u2yATn0oH4Bw&usg=AFQjCNGWS1VViaYjHOtHVf3h0wy_AdJZWg&sig2=k4LYPLxynaq0lY2tjWQRfg&bvm=bv.66330100,d.aWw

Week 2 of Rubik Cube Quest

Good Afternoon Cubers and Bloggers alike!!

Today marks the third blog of my project to learn how to complete a Rubik's cube. As the spring goes on, I find more and more opportunities to work on the project. Being a "fun" assignment, I usually find myself working on the cube more than some other homework simply because it is a good manipulative to use to just take your mind off whatever may be filling it. This being said, it has been a surprisingly good de-stressor for me in a spring full of sports, homework, and activities. The cube has its resting place on my night stand and it is always a reminder of this interesting area of school assigned work. The whole concept of 20 time has been a really refreshing thing to do in school. If you would like to learn more about this "20 Time" that I have mentioned, click the link below.

http://www.20timeineducation.com/

Now, onto my update on the rubik's cube adventure......

I have had lots of sports bus rides, afternoons when I can't focus, and random 5 minute periods where I have nothing better to do than work to try and get this thing solved. I have been really focusing on learning the algorithms needed to get the "preliminary" step which is where there is a cross taking up one of the sides of the cube. This seems easy enough, however, the disclaimer here is that there have to be two, same-colored cubes on the adjacent face and row as each of the cross arms. I almost got here, it looks like this....

Notice that the white side is the first side you ALWAYS use to form the cross, then the red and blue sides (indicated by the center cube color) on the bottom and left face have at least two cubes of the same color adjacent to the white cross cubes on the bottom and left of the white cross face.

The issue I am having, is getting the other right and back faces this way. Where I am running a muck is with the green and orange faces. The yellow face is on the bottom and we will worry about it later. Anyways, the green and orange faces are almost there, it is so agonizing. I can't seem to find a way to swap the cubes I need into the place where the other is. Here's what it looks like now.....

Notice that the top orange cube and the top green cube are above the colored cube of the green center cube and the orange center cube respectively. This is my dilemma, it is harder to move cubes you want to while keeping the finished ones from being re-jumbled. Ahhhhhhh!!!! So as I figure out how to fix this issue, and continue to learn the algorithms, I will leave you here. See you next week!!! If you have been following these blogs so far, and want to cube too, they sell Rubik's at Barne's & Noble Bookstores or any other toy shop really. Try and follow along with these blog posts and maybe even the site I have been using with the link below.

www.solve-the-cube.com/                              

Have a great day and cube on!!!!!

Week 1 of Rubik's Cube Quest

Good Evening my Rubik's Cube solving followers!!

Do not be alarmed at the publishing time of this blog, when the schedules get full, homework and blogging of course, must run late.

As for my progress this week, I found a rubiks cube that had been so graciously solved by I dont know who. I wanted to document the starting result for my quest, so you can see below two pictures varifying that the cube can, and has been solved before, just not by me. We're on a mission to change that!!!


   

So here is where things got interesting.......
I jumbled the cube and said goodbye to the neat rows and columns of same colored squares. Here is where I was after that....


So the quest to solve this 3x3 cube of complexity and wonder now begins officially. I looked up why the rubiks cube is so hard to solve, and my fears were quickly confirmed as I learned that there are 519 quintillion possible arraingments of the cubes AND ONLY 1 SOLUTION. Yes, my fellow cubers, that is 519,000,000,000,000,000 possible ways this thing can be wrong!!! Is your head starting to hurt yet??...
Hope not, because I'm not completely terrible at this, within 5 minutes, i was able to get one side done which means we're 1/6th of the way here. I even proved it for you, check out the blue side I got!!!

So as I continue the quest in learning how this thing works, and how to use the new algorithms I'm finding, to solve this beast.
You'll hear from me next week! Hopefully I will have figured out another side by then, or even started getting all the colors onto the sides they need to be in the characteristic crosses that mean I am on the right track!!

Over and out, Cube on!!!!!

An Introduction to Rubik's Cube 20 Time

Greetings and Good Afternoon my fellow bloggers!! This will be the first of a series of blogs regarding my 20 time quest to solve a Rubik's Cube. This cube of rubik that i speak of was invented by a game maker in the 1974 named Erno Rubik. This 3 by 3 cube with 9 colored squares comprising each faces grid is much harder to solve than what initially meets the eye. I have been baffled by this cube until hopefully now!!! I have  owned and lost a couple rubiks cubes because of their frustrating nature and the fact that when you don't know how to solve one, they seem more useful out of sight.

My 20 time idea came from the discussion that you do something that you haven't been able to do but want to. I like working with my hands and puzzles are fun too. Being a portable and convenient item to bring each week for class and easily accessible for working on whenever i have the chance. Since my cube is lost, I want to find it, or purchase a new one for this activity because I hope to learn the art of solving it so i can impress my friends and family with my new talent.

This blog is my first, so feel free to comment and drop hints so that I can improve my updates later on. Hopefully my TED talk style presentation at the end of the year will involve me going through the process, explaining the various algorithms, and eventually solving the cube in a reasonable time for the class to see that it is, with a little hard work, possible to bring the colors back to their original matching state.

The rubiks cube is a really interesting toy that adults and young people alike can both master. Some of the world record solving times are less than 10 seconds!!!! Some people can, after looking and studying a jumbled cube, solve it blindfolded!!! I cannot do this by any means, but hopefully this project will end in success.
If you want some inspiration on what solving a cube may be able to do for you in impressing your peers, check out the video from the movie "Pursuit of Happyness" where Will Smith's character completes a cube in just seconds, impressing his co-worker, leading to his employment and ultimate success in the workforce after suffering through a difficult life of poverty.