Rubik's Cube/Problem Solving Strategies

 This looks best in "Edit" mode!  Ray Calvin Baker 19:24, 18 August 2011 (UTC)


 * HOW TO FIND YOUR VERY OWN PERSONAL WAYS TO SOLVE RUBIK'S CUBE                              |
 * (Preliminary April 20, 2007 version)            |
 * by Mr. Ray Calvin Baker                         |
 * FREE public Domain Educational material         |
 * Chapter One - - - - - - - - - - Problem Solving Strategies                                 |
 * These are some generally useful ideas for solving all kinds of problems. I will try to show |
 * you some of the ways I applied them to finding ways to unscramble Rubik's Cube.            |
 * OBSERVE! Any detail could provide an important clue. (But sometimes the most obvious       |
 * feature of a puzzle can be deceptive. Look again and keep looking.)                        |
 * EVALUATE! Some details may be more important than others. Some details may be irrelevant.  |
 * Keep evaluating what you have learned by observation, and keep trying to concentrate on the |
 * important details. Remenber also that what is important may depend on what you are trying  |
 * to accomplish.                                                                             |
 * TRY THINGS! If you are stuck, do something -- anything. But be prepared to observe and     |
 * evaluate what happens.                                                                     |
 * TAKE NOTES! Write down your observations and thoughts. Make diagrams and pictures. I spent |
 * several hours working with pencil and paper and my computer for every few minutes of       |
 * playing with the Cube. And here's why: after I make several moves with the Cube, I may     |
 * forget what I did, and the result is a scrambled Cube. If I write down the moves, I can    |
 * know exactly what I did. If the results were useful, I have a record which I can read and  |
 * use again. Even if the results were not what I had hoped for, I may be able to undo the    |
 * mistake step by step, then try again.                                                      |
 * DRAW PICTURES and DIAGRAMS! They may help you to visualize what happens as you do things to |
 * your Cube. I intend to use pictures and diagrams throughout this entire writing.           |
 * PLAN and PREDICT! With a good plan firmly in mind, you will not be afraid to risk any      |
 * apparent progress. Even if your predictions do not always work out as you expect, you will |
 * learn from the attempts. Keep trying!                                                      |
 * DIVIDE! Break up a big problem into smaller parts if you can see a way to do that.         |
 * SIMPLIFY THE PROBLEM. Sometimes, you can gain insight or experience by solving a simpler   |
 * problem. This may also help you divide the big problem into several smaller problems.      |
 * DON'T BE AFRAID TO START OVER! Several times, I thought I had found a clever move; but it  |
 * didn't work when I tried it on the Cube. I had to start over on that part of the puzzle.   |
 * TAKE A BREAK! After working and studying hard for a while, you have saturated your mind    |
 * with all that you know about a problem. If you are not making any progress, sometimes it   |
 * helps simply to take a break. Rest, or try doing something else. I sometimes have dreamed  |
 * in my sleep about the answer to a problem. I had to check out whether the dream was        |
 * correct, but often a flash of insight is just what you need to solve a problem.            |
 * CHANGE YOUR POINT OF VIEW. Consider how others might view the problem. Seek and consider   |
 * other view points. Try to think about what things would be like if you actually did solve  |
 * the problem. Change your perspective, in any ways that you can. Be flexible! Too many      |
 * people have already said, "It can't be done!" (and been wrong!) for you to take that       |
 * statement seriously.                                                                       |
 * PERSEVERE! KEEP TRYING! Remember "NED" -- Never give up! Encourage others! Do your best!   |
 * At a private Christian school, you have another option -- "If any of you lacks wisdom,     |
 * let him ask God, who gives graciously, and will not scold you."                            |
 * with all that you know about a problem. If you are not making any progress, sometimes it   |
 * helps simply to take a break. Rest, or try doing something else. I sometimes have dreamed  |
 * in my sleep about the answer to a problem. I had to check out whether the dream was        |
 * correct, but often a flash of insight is just what you need to solve a problem.            |
 * CHANGE YOUR POINT OF VIEW. Consider how others might view the problem. Seek and consider   |
 * other view points. Try to think about what things would be like if you actually did solve  |
 * the problem. Change your perspective, in any ways that you can. Be flexible! Too many      |
 * people have already said, "It can't be done!" (and been wrong!) for you to take that       |
 * statement seriously.                                                                       |
 * PERSEVERE! KEEP TRYING! Remember "NED" -- Never give up! Encourage others! Do your best!   |
 * At a private Christian school, you have another option -- "If any of you lacks wisdom,     |
 * let him ask God, who gives graciously, and will not scold you."                            |
 * At a private Christian school, you have another option -- "If any of you lacks wisdom,     |
 * let him ask God, who gives graciously, and will not scold you."                            |
 * let him ask God, who gives graciously, and will not scold you."                            |