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How To Solve a 2x2 Rubik’s Cube in 5 Simple Steps
Before we begin, it’s important to understand that the terminology and process for solving a Rubik’s cube is quite specialized. If you’ve never solved a Rubik’s cube before, some of the moves might seem a bit confusing at first, but with practice, they become intuitive.
A 2x2 Rubik’s cube (also known as a pocket cube) consists of 8 corner pieces and, unlike the standard 3x3 Rubik’s cube, no edge or center pieces. Here’s how to solve it in five basic stages:
Building the first layer
This step is mostly intuitive and involves getting one face of the cube to be all the same color, with the other colors on the edges of the first face correctly positioned.
Orienting the last layer (OLL)
Once the first layer is solved, flip the cube upside down so the completed layer is on the bottom. You’ll now be looking at the last layer. The goal in this step is to make the top of the cube a single color (not necessarily having the side colors match). This is done by manipulating the cube with specific algorithms, which are sequences of moves. An example of an algorithm is “U…