Professor 39;s Cube
Leanna Perr
The Professor's Cube was invented by Udo Krell in 1981. Out of the many designs that were proposed, Udo Krell's design was the first 555 design that was manufactured and sold. Uwe Mffert manufactured the cube and sold it in Hong Kong in 1983.
Ideal Toys, who first popularized the original 3x3x3 Rubik's cube, marketed the puzzle in Germany as the "Rubik's Wahn" (German for illusion or delusion). When the cube was marketed in Japan, it was marketed under the name "Professor's Cube". Mffert reissued the cube under the name "Professor's Cube" in the 1990s.[1]
The early versions of the 555 cube sold at Barnes & Noble were marketed under the name "Professor's Cube" but currently, Barnes and Noble sells cubes that are simply called "55 Cube." Mefferts.com used to sell a limited edition version of the 555 cube called the Professor's Cube. This version had colored tiles rather than stickers.[2] Verdes Innovations sells a version called the V-Cube 5.[3]
The original Professor's Cube design by Udo Krell works by using an expanded 333 cube as a mantle with the center edge pieces and corners sticking out from the spherical center of identical mechanism to the 333 cube. All non-central pieces have extensions that fit into slots on the outer pieces of the 333, which keeps them from falling out of the cube while making a turn. The fixed centers have two sections (one visible, one hidden) which can turn independently. This feature is unique to the original design.[4]
The Eastsheen version of the puzzle uses a different mechanism. The fixed centers hold the centers next to the central edges in place, which in turn hold the outer edges. The non-central edges hold the corners in place, and the internal sections of the corner pieces do not reach the center of the cube.[5]
The V-Cube 5 mechanism, designed by Panagiotis Verdes, has elements in common with both. The corners reach to the center of the puzzle (like the original mechanism) and the center pieces hold the central edges in place (like the Eastsheen mechanism). The middle edges and center pieces adjacent to them make up the supporting frame and these have extensions which hold the rest of the pieces together. This allows smooth and fast rotation and created what was arguably the fastest and most durable version of the puzzle available at that time. Unlike the original 555 design, the V-Cube 5 mechanism was designed to allow speedcubing.[6] Most current production 555 speed cubes have mechanisms based on Verdes' patent.
The original Professor's Cube is inherently more delicate than the 333 Rubik's Cube because of the much greater number of moving parts and pieces. Because of its fragile design, the Rubik's brand Professor's Cube is not suitable for Speedcubing. Applying excessive force to the cube when twisting it may result in broken pieces.[7] Both the Eastsheen 555 and the V-Cube 5 are designed with different mechanisms in an attempt to remedy the fragility of the original design.
Any permutation of the corners is possible, including odd permutations, giving 8! possible arrangements. Seven of the corners can be independently rotated, and the orientation of the eighth corner depends on the other seven, giving 37 (or 2,187) combinations.
There are 54 centers. Six of these (the center square of each face) are fixed in position. The rest consist of two sets of 24 centers. Within each set there are four centers of each color. Each set can be arranged in 24! different ways. Assuming that the four centers of each color in each set are indistinguishable, the number of permutations of each set is reduced to 24!/(246) arrangements, all of which are possible. The reducing factor comes about because there are 24 (4!) ways to arrange the four pieces of a given color. This is raised to the sixth power because there are six colors. The total number of permutations of all movable centers is the product of the permutations of the two sets, 24!2/(2412).
The 24 outer edges cannot be flipped due to the interior shape of those pieces. Corresponding outer edges are distinguishable, since the pieces are mirror images of each other. Any permutation of the outer edges is possible, including odd permutations, giving 24! arrangements. The 12 central edges can be flipped. Eleven can be flipped and arranged independently, giving 12!/2 211 or 12! 210 possibilities (an odd permutation of the corners implies an odd permutation of the central edges, and vice versa, thus the division by 2). There are 24! 12! 210 possibilities for the inner and outer edges together.
Some variations of the cube have one of the center pieces marked with a logo, which can be put into four different orientations. This increases the number of permutations by a factor of four to 1.131075, although any orientation of this piece could be regarded as correct. By comparison, the number of atoms in the observable universe is estimated at about 1080. Other variations increase the difficulty by making the orientation of all center pieces visible. An example of this is shown below.
Speedcubers usually favor the Reduction method which groups the centers into one-colored blocks and grouping similar edge pieces into solid strips. This allows the cube to be quickly solved with the same methods one would use for a 333 cube, just a stretched out version. As illustrated to the right, the fixed centers, middle edges and corners can be treated as equivalent to a 333 cube. As a result, once reduction is complete the parity errors sometimes seen on the 444 cannot occur on the 555, or any cube with an odd number of edges for that matter.[9]
The Yau5 method is named after its proposer, Robert Yau. The method starts by solving the opposite centers (preferably white and yellow), then solving three cross edges (preferably white). Next, the remaining centers and last cross edge are solved. The last cross edge and the remaining unsolved edges are solved, and then it can be solved like a 3x3x3.[10]
Another frequently used strategy is to solve the edges and corners of the cube first, and the centers last. This method is referred to as the Cage method, so called because the centers appear to be in a cage after the solving of edges and corners. The corners can be placed just as they are in any previous order of cube puzzle, and the centers are manipulated with an algorithm similar to the one used in the 444 cube.[11]
A less frequently used strategy is to solve one side and one layer first, then the 2nd, 3rd and 4th layer, and finally the last side and layer. This method is referred to as Layer-by-Layer. This resembles CFOP, a well known technique used for the 3x3 Rubik's Cube, with 2 added layers and a couple of centers. [12]
ABCube Method is a direct solve method originated by Sandra Workman in 2020. It is geared to complete beginners and non-cubers. It is similar in order of operation to the Cage Method, but differs functionally in that it is mostly visual and eliminates the standardized notation. It works on all complexity of cubes, from 2x2x2 through big cubes (nxnxn) and only utilizes two easy to remember algorithms; one four twists, the other eight twists, and it eliminates long parity algorithms. [13]
The record fastest time for solving a 555 cube blindfolded is 2 minutes, 4.41 seconds (including inspection), set by Stanley Chapel of the United States on November 10th 2023 at Virginia Championship 2023 in Richmond, Virginia.[15]
You guys have repeatedly requested that we make a Rubik's Cube 5x5x5 Solver so we decided to give it a try. We are proud to present the world's FIRST and BEST online Professor's Cube Solver. This is still an early version so we will appreciate your feedback.
The Rubik's Professor's Cube (5x5x5) has about 283 trevigintillion different possible combinations. We know you've never heard of "trevigintillion" but trust us it's a LOT - way more than the original Rubik's Cube's 43 quintillion possible combinations.
Like our Rubik's Revenge Solver (4x4x4), this solver was programmed to use the "reduction method" - meaning it will solve the centers and edge pieces first, then solve the rest of the puzzle as if it was a normal Rubik's Cube (3x3x3). Note that this is by no means an optimal solver and will take around 100 moves to solve a random combination. We know it's a lot but if you want your puzzle solved you'll have to put in the time to paint the 3D model and follow the step by step solving instructions.
Use the color palette to paint the cube - select a color by clicking or tapping it, then click or tap the tiles you want to use the selected color for. Drag or swipe the cube to rotate it. When finished hit the "Solve" button and the step by step guide for solving your Professor's Cube 5x5x5 will be displayed to you.
The figures in this document represent a sample cube. Although the colors on your personal cube may be different than the figures, I feel that the colored figures will still be helpful in solving the cube. I would suggest matching as many colors on your cube as possible to the figures, then making mental notes about which colors correspond between your cube The diagrams show all six sides of the cube by pretending that mirrors are being held up so that you may see the "hidden" sides.
The directions for what parts of the cube to turn and when are given in a code that is relative to the current positioning of the cube. Each side descriptor refers to a side with respect to the figure the move is referenced to. This means that the front side can be a different color, depending on the diagram being used. See Move 1 of the 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube page for instructive diagrams to illustrate the moves.
Since the lower case L: l looks like the number 1, a letter by itself means to turn the side clockwise one quarter turn. A letter with a 2 following it means to turn the side two turns (halfway around). A letter with an apostrophe (') means to turn the side counterclockwise one quarter turn (a -1 can be used in place of an apostrophe, but the apostrophe takes up less space).
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