Discovery club revives mystery, analysis of Rubik’s cube
Discovery students in the Rubik Club solve the mysterious cube’s puzzle and other three-dimensional geometric figures. (CONTRIBUTED)
MADISON – Shantanu Kadam’s idea for a student organization at Discovery Middle School has revived a 1980’s fad.
Kadam founded the Rubik Club for anyone interested in mastering the Rubik’s cube.
“Last year, the Rubik’s cube was introduced to our school. Many kids got caught in the craze,” Kadam said. “This year, I saw that kids still enjoy this activity.”
Unfortunately, cube spinning isn’t allowed in class. Students “often got in trouble. I thought of how nice it would be to actually cube in school,” Kadam said. At school, students can compete with others to see who is fastest.
Erno Rubik of Budapest, Hungary invented the cube in 1974. His model helped to explain three-dimensional geometry. In the 1980s, the cube became the world’s top selling toy. (rubiks.com)
“It’s rather cool that something that was popular when I was a kid has re-emerged,” club sponsor and language arts teacher Stacey Humes said. “For us, it was just a toy; if we couldn’t solve it, we just moved the stickers.”
“It’s amazing to hear them discuss the various ways to solve ‘the cube,'” Humes said. “Their brains are amazing.”
Club members explore different types of three-dimensional puzzles. “Our club encourages learning how to solve these unique items, (such as) the Pyraminx tetrahedron, Calvin square 1 and axis cube,” Kadam said.
“The club’s objective is just to hang out and have fun. We get together and practice for several minutes. The fun part is when we face off and speed-solve,” he said.
The Rubik Club is open to all grades, doesn’t elect officers and doesn’t engage in service projects. “The club’s objective is just to hang out and have fun,” Kadam said. “There are no requirements because we can teach you how to solve a cube.”
If the club gains enough members, they may host a Rubik Cube tournament. The Rubik Club meets on Wednesdays before school.
