How To Solve A Rubik's Cube!

Step 3 Solving the top edges

Okay, so you have all the corners, now you need to fill in the edges!

Since the top corners are finished, it's not suggested that you move the top layer during the set-up process if this is new to you, but you CAN move it in the algorithms that I have presented to you.

Simply move the middle and bottom layers to set up your target pieces
The target pieces for this are Blue and nColor, where nColor is the color of the surrounding two edges.

If your target cube is in the top row, but not in between the correct two corners, skip that color and go onto the next, it should free itself.

If the cube does not get free, you may turn the middle column that the target cube is on, in order to move it to the bottom row.

Finally, follow the algorithms until you have solved the entire top edges. If you have the middle, too, then skip the next step. If you don't, continue reading.

Comments

[Blackonyx2234]

why is the white square in the center of the blue? or did i mess up somewhere?

[luv2party]

lol... i don't understand it ... it's confusing.... loli have a better way of solving it... might not be that fast but it's effective.........

[zam2x12]

it doesn't work sucks

[daxterrpro]

So I am able to do step two, basically get the four corners blue w/out using your instructions, basically because they confuse me. I get when you say you have to look at the two colors attatched at the corner with the blue, but not how to set up the target pieces. Where do you put the blue piece on the side/where do you put the two colors that are attatched to the corner, and most of all where do you put them in relation to each other. I have gone to about 10 different sites and the reason i am using this one is because i can actually talk with the person who wrote it. If you could more thuroughly describe what you mean by the target pieces and as do so as described above, that would be great. That way i could get on to the next step, hopefully. Two notes though, I am able to solve one side by just looking, but that never seems to work with any algorythm that anyone provides. Also im not even sure if this instructable is still monitored, lol so all this typing may be for nothing. Any help at all would be great, thanks alot!!!

[Does Not Compute]

I don't quite understand what you are getting at, but let me see if this helps: Line up two parts, for example a corner cube with blue (if you solve that first) and orange and yellow, with another corner cube that has blue and orange and white. Line up the two oranges, and repeat for the rest of the sides. Then get the middle pieces aligned, and I will post some instructions that I have that detail it clearly (not U' but shows an arrow and degrees underneath the image)

[T3h_Muffinator]

Yeah, the original instructable was in that format, but the guys from chess&poker had a problem with that (I pretty much copied their notation) so they made me take that notation out.

[jsajjad]

Can you explain what you mean by M' D' ...

[T3h_Muffinator]

Oh, sorry. I meant to put some additional instructional pics up but never got around to it. M' means move the middle column (on the face you're looking at) "down" and D' means rotate the bottom row the opposite of D, or in a "left" direction"

Hope that helps =)

[zak_mckraken]

I have a small problem on step 9. I might just be retarded but I don't get the "column" and "row" concept (E and M). I don't know which layer it refers to (verical or horizontal) or what side I have to move them to make them clockwise or counter-clockwise. I can now easily get to the end of the cube without any instructions but if I get the fish pattern or the H pattern, I'm screwed. I tried the algorithms over and over again in different manners but it's just not working for me. I'm not getting what is the row and what is the column. Since it refers to a middle layer, could you tell me what side layers I would have to move to get it done? (ex: If I wanted to move the vertical middle layer on the front face downward, I would do a L'R move.) Could you re-write the fish and H algorithm using that method? Thanks in advance for your help! Thanks to your algorithms I can now solve (almost) the entire cube by memory! :)

[T3h_Muffinator]

Sigh, sorry about the last step. Ummm... lets seeeeeeeee, I think I can find a better way to explain notation. Give me a day (I'm really busy here at Instructables) and I'll get you a link to this awesome page I found.

[T3h_Muffinator]

NEVERMIND! got it, this should explain all of the moves REALLY well...http://www.speedcubing.com/moves.html

[zak_mckraken]

Nope, it's still not working. I tried to scramble the cube to try both the H and the fish pattern put the result never give me a solved cube. In fact, I end up with a 3rd misplaced piece (a "side" one) on both algorithms. Too bad for me! :(

[T3h_Muffinator]

Hmm... are you sure that your cube was once solved? Sometimes mean people take out one piece and put it back upsidedown. If that's not the case, then take a picture of your current situation and I'll draw out arrows that show exactly which row/column to turn, okie? -Josh

[zak_mckraken]

Yes the cube as already been solved. When I end step 8 and get an H or Fish pattern, I just start over again if I get lucky, I'll eventually finish the cube on step 8. In fact, I noticed that if I get the H pattern, I can just start over by choosing a new top face which will be a side that it's opposite side is solved too. I then solve the cube normally and it will always get solved on step 8! It's not optimal but iw works :) I don't have a camera on hand so I can't take pictures now but I'll try to post some bu tomorrow.

[T3h_Muffinator]

sooo... got any pictures?

[zak_mckraken]

Sorry for the delay. Here are the pictures. The first one is the cube after step 8 and the second one is the cube after step 9. Of course I definitely do something wrong at step 9, but I can't find out why even after looking at the moves on the page you linked earlier. I think it must that I don't use good front face when I do certain moves. For this example, I started using the red face as my front face. The result is the second picture. The color under the wrong red piece is white (on my cube, white is opposed to blue). The color under the blue piece is red. To give you an idea of what I must be doing wrong, the third and fourth pictures are the cube before and after I perform a E' move using the orange face as my front face. Hope this helps! Sorry for the blurry pictures. I ain't much of a photographer!

[T3h_Muffinator]

Yeah, for an E' move, you rotate the middle row of the orange face towards the left.

If you're still looking at the cube from the orange face, you'd see:
O = orange
W = white
R = red

OWO
RRR
OOO

[zak_mckraken]

Hurray it finally works like a charm! Thanks for you help Muffinator :) Time to go to the local bar with my cube to impress the ladies! ;)

[T3h_Muffinator]

YAY! I'm so glad you've finally got it! Awesome work!