Editing Rubik's Cube (section)

==Variations==
<imagemap>
File:Rubik's Cube variants.jpg|thumb|250px|alt=Rubik's Cube Variants|Variations of Rubik's Cubes. Top row: [[V-Cube 7]], [[Professor's Cube]], [[V-Cube 6]]. Bottom row: [[Rubik's Revenge]], original Rubik's Cube, [[Pocket Cube]]. Clicking on a cube in the picture will redirect to the respective cube's page. (Note: scrambled states)
default none [[File:Rubik's Cube variants.jpg]]
poly 964 370 1082 448 1065 545 970 622 865 545 875 445 [[Pocket Cube]]
poly 620 370 844 363 862 536 850 680 628 682 [[#Variations|Rubik's Cube]]
poly 455 280 570 440 580 605 355 705 255 530 220 363 [[Rubik's Revenge]]
poly 540 75 780 90 780 225 760 360 620 365 605 420 560 420 505 340 500 235 [[Professor's Cube]]
poly 890 50 1125 90 1065 420 1040 420 965 365 930 390 850 380 845 365 830 360 840 205 [[V-Cube 6]]
poly 255 50 320 90 405 225 420 290 210 360 230 460 210 465 150 410 90 320 60 240 45 155 120 100 190 70 [[V-Cube 7]]
</imagemap>
[[File:17 layer cube.png|thumb|A 17×17×17 cube]]

There are many different variations of Rubik's Cubes. The most common class of variants changes the "order" of the cube, defined by the number of layers in each dimension or equivalently by the number of pieces along each edge (including corners). The 2×2×2 ([[Pocket Cube|Pocket/Mini Cube]]), the standard 3×3×3 cube, the 4×4×4 ([[Rubik's Revenge|Rubik's Revenge/Master Cube]]), and the 5×5×5 ([[Professor's Cube]]) are the most well known, as they are all available under the official Rubik's brand. The WCA sanctions speedsolving competitions for cube orders up to 7×7×7. These "big cubes" represent about the limit of practicality for the purpose of competitive speedsolving, as the cubes become increasingly ungainly and prone to mechanical failure (such as "popping", where one or more pieces become dislodged from the puzzle), and average solve times increase quadratically with each larger order, in proportion to the number of total "facelets" of the cube.

Even larger cubes based on the V-Cube patents<ref>{{Cite web |title=US7600756B2 patent |url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US7600756B2/en |access-date=14 April 2022 |publisher=Google Patents}}</ref> are commercially available to the mass-market from non-licensed manufacturers, most of them Chinese firms which also produce popular cubes designed for speed-solving. The 17×17×17 "Over the Top" cube (available late 2011) was until December 2017 the largest commercially sold cube, and the most expensive, costing over US$2000. A mass-produced 17×17×17 was later introduced by the Chinese manufacturer YuXin. A working design for a 22×22×22 cube exists and was demonstrated in January 2016,<ref name="cube22">{{Cite web |date=15 January 2016 |title=You Probably Won't Live Long Enough to Solve the World's Largest 22x22 Rubik's Cube |url=http://toyland.gizmodo.com/you-probably-wont-live-long-enough-to-solve-the-worlds-1753163636 |access-date=10 February 2016 |archive-date=10 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160210000811/http://toyland.gizmodo.com/you-probably-wont-live-long-enough-to-solve-the-worlds-1753163636 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and a 33×33×33 in December 2017,<ref name="cube33">{{Cite web |date=2 December 2017 |title=World Record 33x33x33 Rubik's Cube !!!!! |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqJC3YxfcyM |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/NqJC3YxfcyM |archive-date=11 December 2021 |access-date=10 February 2018 |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> though designs this large are not currently mass-produced. Chinese manufacturer ShengShou has been producing cubes in all sizes from 2×2×2 to 15×15×15 (as of May 2020), and has also come out with a 17×17×17.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ShengShou |url=https://www.thecubicle.com/collections/vendors?q=shengshou&constraint=availability_available |access-date=23 May 2020 |website=TheCubicle}}</ref> The largest currently mass-produced cube is 21×21×21, made by MoYu beginning in 2021, and costing between $1100 and $1600.<ref>{{Cite web |title=MoYu 21x21 Cube Stickerless → MasterCubeStore |url=https://mastercubestore.com/yj-moyu/1789-moyu-21x21-cube-stickerless-6970647060887.html |website=MasterCubeStore.com}}</ref>

There are many variations<ref name="variations">{{Cite web |title=Variations |url=http://www.rubiks.com/products |access-date=30 December 2012 |publisher=Rubik's}}</ref> of the original cube, some of which are made by Rubik. The mechanical products include Rubik's Magic, 360, and Twist. There are electronic variants such as Rubik's Revolution and Slide that were also inspired by the original. One of the 3×3×3 Cube variants is Rubik's TouchCube. Sliding a finger across its faces causes its patterns of coloured lights to rotate the same way they would on a mechanical cube. The TouchCube also has buttons for hints and self-solving, and it includes a charging stand. The TouchCube was introduced at the [[American International Toy Fair]] in New York on 15 February 2009.<ref name="reutersny">{{Cite news |date=16 February 2009 |title=NY Toy Fair opens with new Rubik's Cube, Lego deals |publisher=Reuters |url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUKN1546558020090216?sp=true |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126221556/https://uk.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUKN1546558020090216?sp=true |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 November 2020 |access-date=23 March 2009}}</ref><ref name="ny1elec">{{Cite web |title=Toy Fair Kicks Off at Javits Center |url=http://www.ny1.com/Content/Top_Stories/93988/toy-fair-kicks-off-at-javits-center/Default.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090422104222/http://ny1.com/content/top_stories/93988/toy-fair-kicks-off-at-javits-center/Default.aspx |archive-date=22 April 2009 |access-date=23 March 2009}}</ref>

The Cube has inspired an entire category of similar puzzles, commonly referred to as ''[[Combination puzzles|twisty puzzles]]'', which includes the cubes of different sizes mentioned above, as well as various other geometric shapes. Some such shapes include the [[tetrahedron]] ([[Pyraminx]]), the [[octahedron]] ([[Skewb Diamond]]), the [[dodecahedron]] ([[Megaminx]]), and the [[icosahedron]] ([[Dogic]]). There are also puzzles that change shape such as [[Rubik's Snake]] and the [[Square One (puzzle)|Square One]].

In 2011, Guinness World Records awarded the "largest order Rubiks magic cube" to a 17×17×17 cube, made by [[Oskar van Deventer]].<ref name="largestguinness">{{Cite web |title=Largest Order Rubiks / Magic Cube |url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/11000/largest-order-rubiks-magic-cube |access-date=4 January 2013 |website=Guinness World Records}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=van Deventer |first=Oskar |title=Over the Top – 17x17x17 |url=http://www.shapeways.com/model/64058/over-the-top-17x17x17.html}}</ref> On 2 December 2017, Grégoire Pfennig announced that he had broken this record, with a 33×33×33 cube, and that his claim had been submitted to Guinness for verification.<ref name="cube33" /> On 8 April 2018, Grégoire Pfennig announced another world record, the 2x2x50 cube.<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 April 2018 |title=World Record 2x2x50 Rubik's Cube !!! :D |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtIP3lmQHXg |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/EtIP3lmQHXg |archive-date=11 December 2021 |access-date=13 April 2018 |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Whether this is a replacement for the 33×33×33 record, or an additional record, remains to be seen.

[[File:Rubiks Platonic Solids.jpg|thumb|All five platonic solids represented by twisty puzzles]]

Some puzzles have also been created in the shape of [[Kepler–Poinsot polyhedron|Kepler–Poinsot polyhedra]], such as [[Alexander's Star]] (a [[great dodecahedron]]). Grégoire Pfennig has also created at least one puzzle in the shape of a [[small stellated dodecahedron]].

===Custom-built puzzles===
[[File:Novelty Keychain Rubiks Cube.JPG|thumb|Novelty keychain]]

Puzzles have been built resembling Rubik's Cube, or based on its inner workings. For example, a cuboid is a puzzle based on Rubik's Cube, but with different functional dimensions, such as 2×2×4, 2×3×4, and 3×3×5.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Martin |first=W. Eric |date=April 2004 |title=Gamebits: Rubik's Cube... Cubed |magazine=Games |volume=28 |issue=3 |page=4}}</ref>

Other Rubik's Cube modifications include "shape mods", cubes that have been extended or truncated to form a new shape. An example of this is the Trabjer's Octahedron, which can be built by truncating and extending portions of a regular 3×3×3. Most shape modifications can be adapted to higher-order cubes. In the case of [[Tony Fisher (puzzle designer)|Tony Fisher]]'s Rhombic Dodecahedron, there are 3×3×3, 4×4×4, 5×5×5, and 6×6×6 versions of the puzzle.

=== Rubik's Cube software ===
[[Puzzle]]s, like Rubik's Cube, can be simulated by [[computer software]] to provide very large puzzles that are impractical to build, as well as virtual puzzles that cannot be physically built, such as many higher dimensional analogues of the Rubik's Cube.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Green |first=Melinda |date=25 June 2009 |title=Magic Cube 4D |url=http://www.superliminal.com/cube/cube.htm |access-date=20 June 2012 |publisher=Superliminal.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Magic Cube 5D |url=http://www.gravitation3d.com/magiccube5d |access-date=20 June 2012 |publisher=Gravitation3d.com}}</ref>

<gallery widths="200px" heights="185px">
File:4-cube 2^4 highlighted.png|A 2×2×2×2 in MagicCube4D
File:4d cube.png|A 3×3×3×3 in MagicCube4D
File:4-cube 4^4.png|A 4×4×4×4 in MagicCube4D
File:5D Rubik's Cube.png|A 3×3×3×3×3 in MagicCube5D
</gallery>

===Chrome Cube Lab===
Google has released the Chrome Cube Lab in association with<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Armstrong |first1=Calvin |last2=Goldstine |first2=Susan |author-link2=Susan Goldstine |date=September 2014 |title=Review: Beyond Rubik's Cube Exhibit |journal=The College Mathematics Journal |volume=45 |pages=254–256 |doi=10.4169/college.math.j.45.4.254 |jstor=10.4169/college.math.j.45.4.254 |s2cid=218549192}}</ref> [[Ernő Rubik]]. The site has various interactive objects based on Rubik's Cube. Customised versions of Rubik's Cube can be created and uploaded.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chrome Cube Lab |url=https://chrome.com/cubelab#about |access-date=19 May 2014}}</ref>