# Cube notation: how to read moves

Algorithms are written as letters. Learn these six and you can read any of them.

## The six faces

Hold the cube so one face points at you. That face is the **front**, whatever its colour.

| Letter | Face |
|---|---|
| **F** | Front |
| **B** | Back |
| **U** | Up (top) |
| **D** | Down (bottom) |
| **R** | Right |
| **L** | Left |

## Which way to turn

- **A letter on its own** (`R`) means turn that face a quarter turn **clockwise, as if you were looking straight at that face**.
  - For `R` the front column of the right side goes **up**.
  - For `U` the front row goes **to the left**.
- **A letter with an apostrophe** (`R'`, said "R prime") means a quarter turn the other way, anticlockwise.
- **A letter with a 2** (`R2`) means a half turn. Either direction works. The player pauses briefly between the two quarters so you can see it's two turns.

> 3D demo, R, then R' undoes it: `R R'`

> 3D demo, U, U' and U2: `U U' U2`

## Reading an algorithm

`R U R' U'` means: right side up, top to the left, right side down, top to the right. Do the moves left to right, without changing how you hold the cube.

Brackets and `×3` mean "repeat": `(R U R' U') ×3` is those four moves three times.

## Undoing an algorithm

To undo a sequence, play it **backwards**, with every move **reversed**:

- `R U R' U R U2 R'` is undone by `R U2 R' U' R U' R'`.
- Prime moves become plain, plain moves become prime, and `2` stays `2`.

Use this when you lose track in the middle of an algorithm.

## A good first exercise

Repeat `R U R' U'` six times from a solved cube. It scrambles a bit, then the cube comes back to solved. If it doesn't, one of your turns went the wrong way. This little sequence is used all through the beginner method.

> 3D demo, (R U R' U') ×6 returns to solved: `R U R' U'` × 6

## Common mistakes

- **Turning R the wrong way.** Imagine looking at the right face from the right: clockwise from there is "front column up".
- **Rotating the whole cube between moves.** Keep the same face pointing at you for the whole algorithm.
- **Doing U' instead of U.** For U, the front row goes left.

Source: https://scanmycube.com/learn/notation