Date:           15 Aug 95 16:00 -0400 (EDT)
From: Istvan  <u640486@csi.uottawa.ca>

Hi,

I recently downloaded and installed gap. I do not know too much about
the package, but I would like to use it to develop algorithms to solve the
Rubik's Cube and similar puzzles. I would appreciate if someone could
provide a little help, especially if someone already programmed the Cube
or something similar in gap.

Quite some time ago I tried to solve Rubik's Cube with GAP. I copied
the routines for stablizier chain generation and modified them so that
they remembered how the generators of each stabilizer can be expressed
in the original generators of the group. At that time, somebody from
the GAP team also told me a direct solution using a free group, but I
don't remember the exact functions used.

Interesting experiment, but useless for "practical" purposes: The
average solution for Rubik's Cube obtained by this program had a
length of 500,000 turns. I can do much better by hand.

I can dig the program out, though, if you like. Please send me
personal mail if you want the code.

mfg
hwb

--
Harald Boegeholz   <hwb@ix.de>
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