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Are you ready for the Rubik's 360 challenge?

publication date: Oct 2, 2009
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author/source: Tim Walder
Rubik's 360Rubik's 360 is the latest from the Rubik stable. It could not be more different from the cube of my own childhood.  It consists of an outer sphere with nodules for six balls.  Inside are two more spheres, one inside the other, with the six balls in the middle. The two inner spheres are free to rotate around each other within. 

The object of the game is to tilt and fiddle with the Rubik's 360 so that the six balls fall through a total of three holes within the two inner spheres and come to rest within the correctly coloured nodule in the outer sphere. 

My first reaction was that it was impossible: the inner spheres are weighted to make it harder to get the balls near the holes (which are oppositely place from the weights). After a bit I realised that if you got the right twisting action going it was possible to play the weights off against each other in a curving 3D motion so that a ball fell through the hole. 

I managed to get one ball out and then gave the Rubik's 360 to my scientifically- and mathematically-minded 12 year-old son. He loved it and played late into the night with it. 

He said, "It's addictive. It looks impossible and then you realise that you ought to be able to do it. Then you keep on trying, but it is really hard and you just can't stop". 

The Rubik's 360 comes with a rest so that you can put it down and a locking mechanism so that you can "save" any balls you have successfully got into the nodules. It is quite robust, looks good and comes with enough instructions to get you started. 

Recommended.

  Rubik's 360 from Drumond Park is available from Amazon.