Engineering Students Create 1,500-Pound Rubik’s Cube 


 

Squaring off against this Rubik’s Cube is a huge undertaking ― it weighs 1,500 pounds.

University of Michigan engineering students on Thursday unveiled what is believed to be the world’s largest hand-solvable, stationary version of the cube.

Designing and building the colossal cube was a three-year process, much of it involving getting the cubelets to move properly.

“On the inside of our big Rubik’s Cube we have rollers and transfer bearings so that all of the cubelets are only touching each other through rolling friction,” graduate student instructor Kelsey Hockstrand says in the video above.

Although an expert Rubik’s player can solve the puzzle in seconds, the nature of this particular cube means that even the best player will need a lot more time to finish, according to cube co-developer Ryan Kuhn.

“For this cube, every move is deliberate, so you have to grab onto a face and rotate it completely and then remember what you just did, instead of doing a series of algorithms,” Kuhn said in the video. “So it’s hard to keep track in your mind what moves you’ve already done, as well as what moves more you have to do.”

This giant cube is now on display at the university, but be prepared to wait in line. The creators say it takes about an hour for an accomplished cuber to solve.

Article Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/1550-pound-rubiks-cube_us_58f14a09e4b0da2ff860e9c9
Image Source: http://steve-patterson.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Rubiks_cube_by_keqs-1024x460.jpg

VOCABULARY WORDS:
1. squaring off- to assume a posture of defense or offense
2. undertaking- the act of a person who undertakes any task or responsibility
3. unveiled- revealed to public knowledge or scrutiny made evident or manifest
4. stationary- standing still not moving
5. colossal- extraordinarily great in size, extent, or degree gigantic hug
6. cubelets-  small cubes, making up part of a larger cube or structure.
7. deliberately- carefully weighed or considered studied intentional
8. algorithms- a set of rules for solving a problem in a finite number of steps, as for finding the greatest common divisor
9. cuber- a Rubik enthusiast

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1. What makes this Rubik cube unique?
2. Who made this colossal Rubik cube?
3. Explain how it was made.
4. Describe how you can play it.
5. How long can you solve it?
6. Are you fond of playing the Rubik cube? Would you dare play with this Rubik cube?
7. What kind of games do you prefer playing? Describe how you can play it.
8. How important are games for the young and the old? Cite examples.