Most kids can't wait for the final bell of the school day. But at Aloha Huber Park Elementary in Beaverton, some students stay after school to learn about algorithms -- through a Rubik's Cube.

But no matter the cube, the process of solving one involves math — specifically, algorithms. Roman Chavez loved Rubik's Cubes so much, he founded the Jr. Oakland Cubers in high school.

Mathematicians and hobbyists have had a half-century of fun exploring the 43 billion billion permutations of Erno Rubik’s creation.

A pimply teenager walked us through “The Easiest 10-Minute Rubik’s Cube Lesson,” demonstrating specific processes to tackle each side. Over and over, I fumbled the righty and lefty algorithms.

Watch a 6-axis motor solve a Rubik’s Cube in less than a third of a second Getting an AI to distinguish red from orange was a major challenge.

You scrambled up a Rubik’s cube, and now you want to put it back in order. What sequence of moves should you make? Surprise: You can answer this question with modern algebra. Most folks who have ...