How to Solve the Rubik's Cube

So you have a Rubik's Cube, and you've played with it and stared at it and taken it apart...need I go on any further? The following are two complete, fool-proof solutions to solving the cube from absolutely any legal position. Credit goes not to me, but to David Singmaster, who wrote a book in 1980, Notes on Rubik's Magic Cube, which explains pretty much all of what you need to know, plus more. Singmaster wrote about all of these moves except the move for Step 2, which I discovered independently (along with many other people, no doubt).

I've updated this page to include a second solution to the cube. I learned this solution from the Handbook of Cubik Math by Alexander H. Frey, Jr. and David Singmaster. I would strongly recommend getting this book; there are all sorts of interesting problems and exercises to do. This solution is a bit more free-form than the first solution, as there are less moves to memorize. However, it probably requires a little more intuition about cubing on your part to be able to use it effectively. I'm not really sure which of the two solutions would be better to learn first. I prefer the second method, because it is definitely simpler.

I should point out that these are both beginner-level solutions. They are easy to learn (in particular Solution #2). If you want to be able to solve the cube in 20 seconds, this is not the page for you: check out the speed cubing links later on in the page. The faster solutions generally require considerably more memorization and practice. If this is your first time solving the cube, I think you've come to the right place.