World’s Largest Rubik’s Cube Takes 7.5 Hours To Solve

The world’s largest Rubik’s Cube has been introduced. The cube stands at a massive 17x17x17 and has 6.69 * 10˄1054 different possible positions. To give you a better idea of that gargantuous number, that’s a 66 with more than 1,000 digits that come after it. Compare that to a standard Rubik’s cube, which is 3x3x3 and has about 43 quintillion possible positions. That’s a 43 with 18 zeros.

The humongous Rubik’s Cube was created by Oskar van Deventer and while no official world record exists, there is a time lapse video of one man solving it in 7.5 hours. The current world record for the standard cube stands at 5.5 seconds and was accomplished by Mats Valk of the Netherlands in 2013. There are also several other records, such as the fastest time completing the cube while blindfolded, with one hand, with feet only, and the most number of cubes completed within a 24 hour period.

According to puzzle enthusiast Kenneth Brandon, the method for solving the world’s largest Rubik’s Cube is the same for completing a standard cube. The process is just a little more tedious and involves more repetition. The key is to use what is called the reduction method, in which the center pieces are solved first before moving onto the pieces on the edges.

Here are some additional fun facts about the Rubik’s Cube. It was created in 1974 in Budapest, Hungary, by Erno Rubik and sold as a toy under the name Magic Cube before taking the name of its creator in 1980. It took Rubik himself more than a month to solve the cube and determine the solution. The Rubik’s Cube has also been named as the bestselling toy of all time and has sold over 350 million copies worldwide. It was also named toy of the year in 1980 and 1981.

Of course, for regular mortals, the standard cube is frustrating enough as it is. The world’s largest Rubik’s Cube is better reserved for the diehard enthusiasts who wouldn’t mind spending their Friday nights tinkering with such a toy.

[photo credit: How I See Life]

World’s Largest Rubik’s Cube Takes 7.5 Hours To Solve