Introduction
The 5x5 Rubik’s Cube, also known as the Professor’s Cube, is just a slightly more advanced version of the same methods and techniques used in the 3x3 and the 4x4. There are many methods to solve a 5x5 Rubik’s Cube, but for people starting out, the easiest method and also the most popular one is the Reduction Method.
Step 1: Understanding The Structure
A 5x5 cube has 9 centers on each face, basically a 3x3 center on every face, with a fixed center in between that can be used as a guide for the color scheme. Along with the centers, there’s 3 edge pieces in every edge set, which adds up to a total of 36 edge pieces. The 8 corner pieces on a 5x5 behave exactly like those on a 3x3.
Step 2: Solve All Centers
The reduction method starts by solving one center (which is usually white), and then proceeding to solve the opposite center (yellow). After that, work on the centers in the middle layer. Follow these intuitive tips to make center solving easier!
1. Create 1x3 bars of the center pieces and then insert them into their spots by taking the middle center as a reference.
2. Be careful while solving the centers, making sure to not mess up already solved ones.
3. Solving centers in the middle layer can be a bit tricky. Make sure to undo moves done while solving that have disturbed the centers you’ve already built.
Step 3: Pair All Edges
After all the centers are solved, we can move on to edge pairing. Match the three edge pieces for each edge into one paired edge. A good practice is to use the middle layer to slice and pair the edges and use the top and bottom layers to store the paired edges.
Use the slice, store, and replace technique:
1. Bring and align 3 edge pieces together in the middle layer, then slice and pair all three pieces into one paired edge.
2. Store the paired edge into the top or bottom layer.
3. Undo the slices and restore the centers in the middle layer.
Repeat this process for all 8 edges till the top and bottom layers are filled with paired edges. For the last 4 edges, use the edge flipping algorithm to pair the edges and restore the centers without disturbing anything. A useful tip is to search for instances where one middle edge is already connected to one of the side edges.
In this case, you can use the edge-flipping algorithm, which is:
- R U R' F R' F' R.
This algorithm flips the edge in its position. For the last 2 edges, you might run into edge parity, the algorithm to solve this is:
-
Rw U2 x Rw U2 Rw U2 Rw' U2 Lw U2 3Rw' U2 Rw U2 Rw' U2 Rw'
(edge parity image)
Step 4: Solve Like a 3x3
After solving all the centers and pairing all the edges, a 5x5 just turns into a big 3x3 and you can just solve it using your regular 3x3 method.
Final Tips
1. Always undo your slice moves after pairing edges or solving centers.
2. Don’t rush the solve, The 5x5 has much more pieces than a 3x3 so just be careful till you get the hang of it.
With a bit of practice, solving a 5x5 becomes easier and you can then focus on solving it faster! Fortunately, speedsolving a 5x5 uses the Reduction Method itself with a few extra algorithms.
