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Face Turning Octahedron
The Face Turning Octahedron (often abbreviated as FTO) is a combination and mechanical puzzle. Unlike cubic puzzles, the FTO is based on an octahedral geometry with eight triangular faces that rotate independently. Its deep-cut mechanism and interplay of the various piece types give the puzzle a distinctive solving approach compared to other cubic puzzles. The FTO is notable for being the first octahedral twisty puzzle to feature straight cuts, setting it apart from earlier octahedral designs. History The idea for the FTO was initially developed through a series of early patent filings. On February 9, 1982, Clarence W. Hewlett Jr. filed the first patent for a face-turning octahedron, and just two weeks later, on February 24, 1982, Karl Rohrbach filed a similar patent. However, neither patent led to a commercial product which left the concept theoretical for years. Ernő Rubik, the creator of the Rubik's Cube, expressed interest in the development of an FTO. Rubik envisioned a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Combination Puzzle
In mathematics, a combination is a selection of items from a set (mathematics), set that has distinct members, such that the order of selection does not matter (unlike permutations). For example, given three fruits, say an apple, an orange and a pear, there are three combinations of two that can be drawn from this set: an apple and a pear; an apple and an orange; or a pear and an orange. More formally, a ''k''-combination of a set ''S'' is a subset of ''k'' distinct elements of ''S''. So, two combinations are identical if and only if each combination has the same members. (The arrangement of the members in each set does not matter.) If the set has ''n'' elements, the number of ''k''-combinations, denoted by C(n,k) or C^n_k, is equal to the binomial coefficient \binom nk = \frac, which can be written using factorials as \textstyle\frac whenever k\leq n, and which is zero when k>n. This formula can be derived from the fact that each ''k''-combination of a set ''S'' of ''n'' membe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mechanical Puzzle
A mechanical puzzle is a puzzle presented as a set of mechanically interlinked pieces in which the solution is to manipulate the whole object or parts of it. While puzzles of this type have been in use by humanity as early as the 3rd century BC, one of the most well-known mechanical puzzles of modern day is the Rubik's Cube, invented by the Hungarian architect Ernő Rubik in 1974. The puzzles are typically designed for a single player, where the goal is for the player to discover the principle of the object, rather than accidentally coming up with the right solution through trial and error. With this in mind, they are often used as an intelligence test or in problem solving training. History The oldest known mechanical puzzle comes from Greece and appeared in the 3rd century BC. The game consists of a square divided into 14 parts, and the aim was to create different shapes from these pieces. This is not easy to do. (see Ostomachion loculus Archimedius) In Iran "puzzle-locks" ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Octahedron
In geometry, an octahedron (: octahedra or octahedrons) is any polyhedron with eight faces. One special case is the regular octahedron, a Platonic solid composed of eight equilateral triangles, four of which meet at each vertex. Many types of irregular octahedra also exist, including both convex set, convex and non-convex shapes. Combinatorially equivalent to the regular octahedron The following polyhedra are combinatorially equivalent to the regular octahedron. They all have six vertices, eight triangular faces, and twelve edges that correspond one-for-one with the features of it: * Triangular antiprisms: Two faces are equilateral, lie on parallel planes, and have a common axis of symmetry. The other six triangles are isosceles. The regular octahedron is a special case in which the six lateral triangles are also equilateral. * Tetragonal bipyramids, in which at least one of the equatorial quadrilaterals lies on a plane. The regular octahedron is a special case in which all thr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ernő Rubik
Ernő Rubik (; born 13 July 1944) is a Hungarian architect and inventor, widely known for creating the Rubik's Cube (1974), Rubik's Magic, and Rubik's Snake. While Rubik became famous for inventing the Rubik's Cube and his other puzzles, much of his recent work involves the promotion of science in education. Rubik is involved with several organizations such as Beyond Rubik's Cube, the Rubik Learning Initiative and the Judit Polgar Foundation, all of which aim to engage students in science, mathematics, and problem solving at a young age. Rubik studied sculpture at the Academy of Applied Arts and Design in Budapest and architecture at the Technical University, also in Budapest. While a professor of design at the academy, he pursued his hobby of building geometric models. One of these was a prototype of his cube, made of 27 wooden blocks; it took Rubik a month to solve the problem of the cube. It proved a useful tool for teaching algebraic group theory, and in late 1977 Konsu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
World Cube Association
The World Cube Association (WCA) is the worldwide non-profit organization that regulates and holds competitions for mechanical puzzles that are operated by twisting groups of pieces, commonly known as '' twisty puzzles'' (a subcategory of combination puzzles). The most famous of those puzzles is the Rubik's Cube. Since the start of the WCA there have been over 11,700 competitions. The WCA was founded by Ron van Bruchem of the Netherlands and Tyson Mao of the United States in 2004. The goal of the World Cube Association is to have "more competitions in more countries with more people and more fun, under fair and equal conditions." In 2017, they started work to become a non-profit organization and on November 20, 2017, the state of California accepted the initial registration of the World Cube Association. The organization is run by the board members. It assigns different teams and committees as well as delegates who can organize official competitions. The presence of a delegat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Speedcubing
Speedcubing or speedsolving is a competitive mind sport centered around the rapid solving of various combination puzzles. The most prominent puzzle in this category is the 3×3×3 puzzle, commonly known as the Rubik's Cube. Participants in this sport are called "speedcubers" (or simply "cubers"), who focus specifically on solving these puzzles at high speeds to get low clock times and/or fewest moves. The essential aspect of solving these puzzles typically involves executing a series of predefined algorithms in a particular sequence with eidetic prediction and finger tricks. Competitive speedcubing is predominantly overseen by the World Cube Association (WCA), which officially recognizes 17 distinct speedcubing events. These events encompass a range of puzzles, including N×N×N puzzles of sizes varying from 2×2×2 to 7×7×7, and other puzzle forms such as the Pyraminx, Megaminx, Skewb, Square-1, and Rubik's Clock. Additionally, specialized formats such as 3×3, 4×4, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
