5x5x5 Rubik 39;s Cube
Giulia Satmary
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 Rubik's Professor's Cube is a 5x5x5 variation of the original Rubik's Cube. The first version of this puzzle was invented in 1981 by Udo Krell, who took a regular 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube and expanded its mechanism. Starting in 1983, Krell's design for this puzzle was manufactured and sold by Uwe Mffert. The Rubik's Brand (currently owned by Spin Master) only added this puzzle to their lineup later, in 1986. It is interesting to note that even though this puzzle was not invented by the Rubik's Brand, the name by which it's known today, "Professor's Cube", was coined by Ideal Toys (former owner of the Rubik's Brand) when this puzzle was marketed in the 1980s.
As with all odd-order variations of the Rubik's Cube, the centermost piece on each face is fixed to the mechanism of the cube. Aside from these pieces, there are 48 additional center pieces that are free to move around the puzzle, 8 corner pieces, and 36 edge pieces. Similarly to the Rubik's Revenge Cube (4x4x4), the most common approach for solving this 5x5x5 cube is called the "reduction" method. Focusing on solving the 3x3 center pieces and 3x1 edge pieces first - thus "reducing" the problem to a 3x3x3 puzzle, which can be solved using a regular Rubik's cube solving algorithms. This puzzle has only one parity case.
This puzzle has many moving parts, thus allowing a huge number of possible permutations. The number of possible permutations of the 5x5x5 Professor's Cube is just under 2.83x1074. The 5x5x5 Cube is an official WCA puzzle, and the current world record for solving it is 32.88 seconds. It was set by Max Park from the USA at the CubingUSA Nationals 2023 competition.
I did some turning on my 5x5x5 Rubik's Cube and I now have the cube like on the image below. 4 times a smiley -_- and 2 times a solved plane. But I have no idea how I did this, does someone know the algorithm? The yellow plane is solved, the red plane has the smiley in orange and the green plane has the smiley in blue.
Edit:
The the smileys on the hidden faces are the same as in the opposite face. If you look straight at the smiley -_- and turn the cube $180^\circ$ on the y-axis the smiley is orientated exactly the same -_-. Example when turning the cube as mentioned with yellow on the table you see red/orange smileys oriented correctly and the blue/green smileys orientated $90^\circ$ wrong.
The most common question I get is about where to purchase a 5x5x5 cube. Meffert sells them, and as of 2/26/2004, two people have told me that they now sell East Sheen 5x5x5 cubes that are slightly larger than a normal cube and work quite well. Apparently the East Sheen cubes can be easily disassembled and reassembled.
There are six distinctly different kinds of cubies on the 5x5x5. Naturally there are 6 Center cubies, and right next to each Center are 4 Cross cubies. Diagonally from each Center cubie are 4 Point cubies. Each side of the cube has five cubies along it: Corner, Wing, Edge, Wing, Corner. There are 8 Corners, 12 Edges, and 24 Wings.
The blue Points are now either on the sides or on the Down face. You can move the blue Points to the Down face by first lining them up on the right side of the Front face and having any blue Points already on the Down on the right side of the Down face. Using R3-d2-R1 you can move two Points to the Down face, or R3-d1-R1 to move one to the Down face.
To solve the remaining 16 Points, you must use successive Dx and fx moves. Rotate Dx freely to get Points next to their Centers and fx to put the Points up to the upper layers. When moving Points to upper layers that have already been filled with the correct Points, first rotate the upper Points with f2 and then use Dx to move the needed Points over to their Center and use fx to put the needed Points on the upper layers, and lastly bring the lower layers back with Dx. Often near the end of this process, you will have three solved Points on one face and three solved Points on another face, and you need to switch the unsolved Points. If, for example, these two faces were the Left and Front faces, you would rotate fx so that the unsolved Point is in the upper right. Then you would rotate lx so that the other unsolved Point is in the lower left of that face. Then use D1-f1-D3 to switch these Points.
To solve the 16 remaining Crosses, use ex and fx moves, making sure to not separate the Points from each other. Move Cross cubies between like Points on the upper and lower layers of as many of the faces as possible. Often this will just put one Cross into place, but look for places where two like-colored Crosses are on the same face, move them to the equator, use ex to get them both to the right face, and use f1 to put both Crosses above and below the equator. There are two main moves I use to put the remaining Crosses into place. To rotate around six of the Crosses in the equator, use F2-e1-F2-e3. You will notice that this move can take a Cross from one side of the cube to the opposite side, but will never switch to an adjoining side. By setting up unsolved cubies in sets of six in the equator by using fx moves, you can get many of the Crosses into place. Between such moves, you can do simple f1 and f3 moves to bring other unsolved Crosses into the equator. At some point, you will probably need to switch cubies to adjacent faces. One way to do this is to switch a pair on one face with a nearby face with e1-f1-e3. Another move will swap a equator Cross with the Cross that shares the same Edge cubie, and will do the same to the other equator Cross on the same face. So, position the cube so that the Front face has the two Crosses you wish to switch with the Crosses on the front Left face and the front Right face. The move is e1-L2-e3-L1-e3-L1-e3-L2-e1-L1-e1-L1. On occasion you will have the ugly situation of having to swap only two Crosses with each other, rather than doing two swaps at the same time. To do this, you will have to still use this same move, but first do a pre-move so that the other Crosses that swap are the same color. So, if you position the cube with one Cross on the Front left and the other on the Left front, do U3-r3, then do the swap move, and the undo the pre-move with r1-U1. You should have all the Centers, Points, and Crosses solved.
Use your favorite solution to the 3x3x3 now by just using one layer face moves. Now that the Wings are joined to the Edges, and the Centers are joined to their Crosses and Points, those parts of the puzzle can be moved together. I prefer a top corners, bottom corners, top and bottom edges, then middle edges approach, of course.
I have marked all of the cubies on one of my cubes so that they are all different. In this case, I cut off the corners of the stickers on each face so that all of them have the same corner cut. For example, when the cube is solved the red face has all nine cubie stickers missing the upper left corner. Thus, I cannot possibly have the parity problem, which is caused by two equally colored crosses or points that are switched. But I also have to worry about getting them into the right places, and even have to get the centers rotated correctly. If you want a new challenge, you may try modifying your own cube.
The original 5x5x5 Rubik'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. The Eastsheen version of the 5x5x5 Rubik's Cube 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. 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 centerpieces 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 rest of the pieces together. This allows smooth and fast rotation and creating arguably the fastest and most durable version of the puzzle. Unlike the original 555 design, the V-Cube 5 mechanism was designed with speedcubing in mind.
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