Kevin Tucker : Group Theory and the Rubik's Cube

Posted by Josh Fletcher , part of the MATH Club.

At

Sept. 25, 2023, 1 p.m.

In

636 SEO

Abstract

At its heart, group theory is the study of symmetries of objects, with wide ranging applications within mathematics and far beyond. In this talk, I'll give a brief invitation to the study of groups and permutations, with applications to how to apply these ideas to permutation puzzles of all kinds. In particular, we'll talk about how group theory can be used to figure out how to solve the Rubik's cube -- without simply memorizing a prescribed set of moves.