Post by galactapuss on Apr 5, 2009 18:52:58 GMT -8
<update>
Had another go at it this morning. Worked this time. Don't know why it worked today but not yesterday. the second phase (Rubik's Cube phase) was a bit more challenging than a regular Rubik's Cube. Had to learn how to rotate center pieces. Anyway, all done. Maybe write a faq or something, as all of the solutions for a sudoku cube I found were either for cubes with a 123456789 face (1ul, 2t, 3ur, etc) or listed only 'and then I solved it' for the sudoku part, with no explanation.
If you ever get a sudoku cube, make sure to write down all of the numbers in the starting, solved state. Or take a couple of pics with your cell phone.
</update>
I have one of these:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudoku_cube
I can't stand the idea of saying 'I can't solve it.' At this point I would have to say: I have, after a great deal of effort, not found the solution.
Sudoku cubes have 2 general steps. 1) Solve the sudoku aspect (which numbers go where). 2) Solve the Rubik's Cube aspect.
I can do the 2nd step easily. The first step is posing a problem for me though.
I've tried 3 different approaches and they all seem to result in a non-solution. That is, the only apparent solution ends up contradicting itself, leaving no solution. If this happened with just 1 approach, I would look for errors in my reasoning. I found and corrected several errors in 2 of the approaches, but even after everything was corrected I still ended up with no solution in each case.
Odd possibilities: I'm proceeding under a false assumption, such as trying to make all of the numbers on a given face be oriented the same way. Or, that the cube was solvable and nothing's happened to it (stickers switched, pieces switched, etc) to make it now unsolvable. Or, that this particular cube was solvable to begin with.
Note: There is no 2t (edge piece with 2 in the top position), so it looks like the cube can't have a simple 123456789 side (1ul, 2t, 3ur...9lr).
I think I got this cube as a stocking stuffer one year for Christmas, but i'm not certain. If I did, then the cube should have started out in a solved state. The cube has never been out of my possession.
The cube is either solvable and I haven't been able to find the solution, or the cube is unsolvable. I don't know which. It may be that the cube's function isn't to be solved in the fashion i'm thinking of, but instead to serve as a mental torture device.
So, any useful thoughts, advice, solutions?
Here's the cube's layout:
Notation:
ul: upper left
ur: upper right
ll: lower left
lr: lower right
t: top
b: bottom
l: left
r: right
Centers:
5 opposite 1, 6 opposite 1, 7 opposite 4. Yes, there are two center 1's.
If you set the cube with 5 on the top face, it's surrounded by 1, 4, 6, 7 (in that order) for the other centers.
Corners:
174 1ur 7ur 4ul
163 1ul 6ur 3ul
678 6ll 7ll 8lr
699 6lr 9ll 9lr
497 4lr 9ul 7ur
158 1ul 5lr 8ll
245 2ur 4lr 5ll
253 2ur 5ll 3ul
Edges:
33 3r 3b
69 6b 9t
25 2b 5t
78 7l 8lr
79 7t 9r
36 3r 6l
28 2b 8tb
18 1r 8lr
38 3t 8tb
24 2l 4t
49 4l 9b
25 2l 5r
The 8's appear the same, flipped horizontally or vertically. 8tb means it's an 8 that could be in the top or bottom position.
Had another go at it this morning. Worked this time. Don't know why it worked today but not yesterday. the second phase (Rubik's Cube phase) was a bit more challenging than a regular Rubik's Cube. Had to learn how to rotate center pieces. Anyway, all done. Maybe write a faq or something, as all of the solutions for a sudoku cube I found were either for cubes with a 123456789 face (1ul, 2t, 3ur, etc) or listed only 'and then I solved it' for the sudoku part, with no explanation.
If you ever get a sudoku cube, make sure to write down all of the numbers in the starting, solved state. Or take a couple of pics with your cell phone.
</update>
I have one of these:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudoku_cube
I can't stand the idea of saying 'I can't solve it.' At this point I would have to say: I have, after a great deal of effort, not found the solution.
Sudoku cubes have 2 general steps. 1) Solve the sudoku aspect (which numbers go where). 2) Solve the Rubik's Cube aspect.
I can do the 2nd step easily. The first step is posing a problem for me though.
I've tried 3 different approaches and they all seem to result in a non-solution. That is, the only apparent solution ends up contradicting itself, leaving no solution. If this happened with just 1 approach, I would look for errors in my reasoning. I found and corrected several errors in 2 of the approaches, but even after everything was corrected I still ended up with no solution in each case.
Odd possibilities: I'm proceeding under a false assumption, such as trying to make all of the numbers on a given face be oriented the same way. Or, that the cube was solvable and nothing's happened to it (stickers switched, pieces switched, etc) to make it now unsolvable. Or, that this particular cube was solvable to begin with.
Note: There is no 2t (edge piece with 2 in the top position), so it looks like the cube can't have a simple 123456789 side (1ul, 2t, 3ur...9lr).
I think I got this cube as a stocking stuffer one year for Christmas, but i'm not certain. If I did, then the cube should have started out in a solved state. The cube has never been out of my possession.
The cube is either solvable and I haven't been able to find the solution, or the cube is unsolvable. I don't know which. It may be that the cube's function isn't to be solved in the fashion i'm thinking of, but instead to serve as a mental torture device.
So, any useful thoughts, advice, solutions?
Here's the cube's layout:
Notation:
ul: upper left
ur: upper right
ll: lower left
lr: lower right
t: top
b: bottom
l: left
r: right
Centers:
5 opposite 1, 6 opposite 1, 7 opposite 4. Yes, there are two center 1's.
If you set the cube with 5 on the top face, it's surrounded by 1, 4, 6, 7 (in that order) for the other centers.
Corners:
174 1ur 7ur 4ul
163 1ul 6ur 3ul
678 6ll 7ll 8lr
699 6lr 9ll 9lr
497 4lr 9ul 7ur
158 1ul 5lr 8ll
245 2ur 4lr 5ll
253 2ur 5ll 3ul
Edges:
33 3r 3b
69 6b 9t
25 2b 5t
78 7l 8lr
79 7t 9r
36 3r 6l
28 2b 8tb
18 1r 8lr
38 3t 8tb
24 2l 4t
49 4l 9b
25 2l 5r
The 8's appear the same, flipped horizontally or vertically. 8tb means it's an 8 that could be in the top or bottom position.
