Quiz on Rubik's Cube

How many different colors appear on a standard Rubik's Cube?

• Eight
• Six ✓ (Correct answer)
• Nine
• Four

Source: White, yellow, red, orange, blue and green, one color for each of the six faces.

How many small colored squares are on each face of a standard cube?

• Six
• Four
• Nine ✓ (Correct answer)
• Twelve

Source: Each of the six faces is a 3x3 grid, giving nine squares per side.

In which decade did the cube explode into a worldwide craze?

• 1960s
• 1980s ✓ (Correct answer)
• 1990s
• 2000s

Source: After its 1980 international launch it became the best-selling toy of the early 1980s.

Racing to solve the cube in the shortest possible time is a sport called what?

• Speedcubing ✓ (Correct answer)
• Cube racing
• Twist sprinting
• Quick twisting

Source: Speedcubing competitions are run worldwide under the World Cube Association.

What nationality was the person who invented the Rubik's Cube?

• Hungarian ✓ (Correct answer)
• Russian
• German
• American

Source: Erno Rubik was a Hungarian professor who built the first cube in Budapest in 1974.

Roughly how many scrambled arrangements does a 3x3 cube have?

• 43 quintillion ✓ (Correct answer)
• 43 billion
• 43 million
• 43 thousand

Source: There are over 43 quintillion positions, far more than the grains of sand on Earth.

Roughly how long does the current world record for solving a 3x3 cube take?

• About 1 minute
• About 20 seconds
• About 3 seconds ✓ (Correct answer)
• About 5 minutes

Source: Max Park solved it in 3.13 seconds in 2023, faster than you can read this sentence.

A memorized sequence of moves used to solve part of the cube is usually called what?

• A formula
• A pattern
• An algorithm ✓ (Correct answer)
• A routine

Source: Cubers memorize dozens of algorithms, borrowing the term straight from computer science.

Which pieces stay in the same position relative to each other no matter how you twist the cube?

• The corner pieces
• The edge pieces
• All of them move
• The center pieces ✓ (Correct answer)

Source: The six centers are fixed to the core, so they always define each face's color.

What was the original name its inventor gave the puzzle?

• Puzzle Cube
• Color Cube
• Mystery Box
• Magic Cube ✓ (Correct answer)

Source: He called it the Magic Cube before it was renamed after him for its 1980 launch.

In 'The Pursuit of Happyness,' which actor famously solves a Rubik's Cube to impress a recruiter?

• Denzel Washington
• Will Smith ✓ (Correct answer)
• Jamie Foxx
• Morgan Freeman

Source: Will Smith's character solves one in a taxi, stunning a stockbroker in the 2006 film.

What do modern competition cubes often contain to turn faster and click into place?

• Ball bearings
• Springs
• Magnets ✓ (Correct answer)
• Gears

Source: Tiny magnets were added around 2016 and transformed speedcubing precision.

What subject did the cube's inventor actually teach at university?

• Architecture ✓ (Correct answer)
• Mathematics
• Physics
• Engineering

Source: He was a professor of architecture and built it as a 3D design aid, not a math toy.

In what year was the first official World Championship held?

• 1975
• 1990
• 2000
• 1982 ✓ (Correct answer)

Source: It took place in Budapest in 1982, with the winner solving in under 23 seconds.

Roughly how many cubes have been sold, making it one of the best-selling toys ever?

• Over 35 million
• Over 350 million ✓ (Correct answer)
• Over 3 billion
• Over 3 million

Source: Estimates top 350 million sold, roughly one cube for every 20 people alive.

Any scramble can be solved in at most how many moves, a figure nicknamed 'God's number'?

• 16
• 20 ✓ (Correct answer)
• 26
• 50

Source: In 2010 a computer proved every possible position is solvable in 20 moves or fewer.

The most common speedsolving method is the acronym 'CFOP.' What does the 'C' stand for?

• Cross ✓ (Correct answer)
• Corner
• Color
• Cube

Source: CFOP starts by solving a cross on one face, then corners, edges and the last layer.

On the standard Western color scheme, which color sits opposite white?

• Yellow ✓ (Correct answer)
• Blue
• Green
• Red

Source: White faces yellow, blue faces green, and red faces orange on the standard scheme.

In blindfolded solving competitions, what must a competitor do before the blindfold goes on?

• Feel the colors
• Use one hand
• Wear gloves
• Memorize the scramble ✓ (Correct answer)

Source: Solvers study the scramble first, then put on the blindfold and solve entirely from memory.

A 3x3 looks like 27 little cubes stacked together, but how many separate moving pieces does it really have?

• 27
• 26 ✓ (Correct answer)
• 30
• 24

Source: There is no cube at the very center, just a core mechanism, leaving 26 real pieces.