Topics Covered in Class

Week 1 (September 22)

What is Speedcubing? - Videos, websites, stories about cubing.

Week 2 (September 29)

The Origins of Speedcubing - Erno Rubik, Early 80's, etc. (Slideshow)
Lesson: Finger Tricks
Lesson: Beginner's Layer-by-Layer Solution (Solution Handout)

Week 3 (October 6)

The beginning of modern cubing: speedcubing.com
The WCA governing body and its regulations.
Explanation: The Fridrich Method
Lesson: F2L (Blank F2L Sheet)

Week 4 (October 13)

Discussion/Review of excerpts from the regulations.
World Championships: Story and Videos
Lesson: Continuing F2L (F2L Sheet)

Week 5 (October 20)

Project Assignment
Lecture: Counting the number of permutations of a Rubik's Cube (using permutation and orientation)
Guest: Lars Petrus, explaining the history and details of the Petrus method.

Week 6 (October 27)

Guest: Professor Bump, giving an introduction to group theory and the cube: the definition of a group, permutations, cycles, parity, commutators, conjugates, cosets.
Various short topics
4LLL: T-Perm and Y-Perm.

Homework:

Since we talked about a lot of the ideas in class, I'd like you to take a look at 3 famous pages: commutators, as well as the 3OP blindsolving method and the new, popular M2 method:
And once you've looked at them, just send me a few sentences telling me what you think/understand: Is something not making sense at all? Do you see some brilliant connections? Can you apply what you read?

Week 7 (November 3)

Guest: Tom Rokicki, talking about computer cubing (Slides) Demonstration: Computer Software

Homework:

Work on your project.

Recommended: Especially if your project involves learning something to get faster, you should look at timers and programs, executable and web-based.
I highly recommend CCT, qqTimer, and Ryan Heise's simulator.

Week 9 (November 17)

Project Presentations
Guest: Shelley Chang, talking about Cross on Left and Blindfolded Cubing
Impromptu Guest: Mark Eichenlaub, talking about permutations

Week 10 (December 1)

Project Presentations

Course Material (Handouts, etc.)

Guest Speakers

Cubing Links

Math 88Q, normally taught by Daniel Bump.