The Rubik's Cube turned 40 years old in 2014. Just because this toy has been around for four decades doesn't mean it captivates us any less today.
Kenneth Brandon, who goes by the name RedKB on YouTube, knows what's up. He posted a timelapse video of himself solving the world's largest Rubik's Cube, the 17x17x17, back in November, and it's getting a lot of attention on the Internet today because of its awesomeness.
When you think of a Rubik's Cube, you probably have a vision of a small-ish cube of red, white, blue, orange, green and yellow-colored squares. However, the 17x17x17 puzzle is huge with tiles of varying sizes. It's basically a beast.
But Brandon was up to the challenge when he tackled the 17x17x17. It took him seven-and-a-half hours to solve the puzzle, which he completed over the course of five days. I was actually relieved to hear he didn't solve this Rubik's Cube in one sitting. That would have been even crazier than this story already is.
You can watch the solve in its entirety if you have a few hours to spare. But in case you don't, Brandon edited a nifty timelapse video that's even more fun to watch. As he rapidly makes all of his twists and turns and flips over this monstrous Rubik's Cube, I can't decide if it's mesmerizing or nauseating... or both. Either way, it's definitely worth six minutes of your time, especially on a Friday afternoon.
Brandon explains how he solved this massive Rubik's Cube in the video's introduction saying that it's "not that hard but very tedious." To solve this cube, he uses the reduction method, which means he reduces the 17x17x17 cube it to a 3x3x3 cube. He first reduces the centers of the cube and solves them all, then tackles the edges.
"Then, it's like a big Rubik's Cube with huge centers, long, skinny edges and tiny corners," Brandon says in the video.
Brandon is a twisty puzzle enthusiast, according to his YouTube channel. But you probably could have figured that out on your own, considering the collection of Rubik's Cubes and other puzzles in the background of the video. Speaking of the video's background, I also recommend watching the hands of the clock in the top left corner tick by for an extra bit of hypnotic fun.
Here's the six-minute timelapse video of the Rubik's Cube solve.
And here's the full seven-and-a-half-hour video for your viewing pleasure.
[H/T TIME]
Image: Rosana Prada / Flickr
