Bestseller of my childhood- another puzzle invented by Erno Rubik, is a simpler activity for the brain, compared to Rubik's Cube, but no less exciting. Plus, the Snake gives unlimited scope to the imagination. In this review, figures from simple to more complex are waiting for you, as well as a couple of tips on how not to miscalculate with the purchase of a Snake, including on AliExpress.
His own, or rather his own, Rubik's Snakes I bought 5 years ago for 250 rubles (3 pcs). There were three identical Snakes in a transparent cube package, the length of each of them is 35 cm (1.7 cm width of the links).
As in childhood) Perfect. On Aliexpress, a friend once ordered her daughter a very cheap option for 29 rubles. The snake was only 16 cm long, and the links turned very tight. No one was interested in such a toy. So be sure to look at the size of the toy when buying (and of course, read the reviews, comments), optimal: from 35 to 45 cm. On sale in online stores there are also "monsters" of 71-120 cm, some have 36 links instead of 24, but this, in my opinion, is too much. It’s inconvenient, and you can’t build your favorite figures from such “behemoths”. Although you can build something unimaginably cool out of more links, I'm still a fan of the classics. And further - if you want the durability of the Snake, don't skimp. And when buying a puzzle in retail, not online stores, do not rush - turn the links, look at the quality of the plastic. There should be no space between the links when you try to stretch the Snake, but nevertheless, the triangles should follow your movements easily enough.
The standard Snake consists of 24 triangular elements (prisms) connected by hinges.
Triangles are usually divided into 2 colors. My version is blue and white. Therefore, you can also receive figures in two colors (as far as possible), everything looks clearer without words, using the example of the "Ball" figure from Rubik's Snake.
This is how you can rotate elements and create shapes:
Puzzle task: collect from it geometric shapes, animals and other associations. Something you create will definitely look like something)) Sometimes it's just "Something"
...and sometimes something specific, but in several versions. Here, for example, the "Turtle" figure in three variations:
Wikipedia claims:
More than 100 2D and 3D shapes can be assembled from this puzzle. There are formulas that describe the assembly of figures from a snake.
Rubik's snake perfectly develops spatial thinking and is suitable for everyone, without age restrictions:
- Me at 33 I love to collect something new, not a standard set, known since childhood - "Doggy" or "Ball", which I hadn't thought of myself before, what I saw on the Internet. I usually twist and turn the Snake when I watch TV shows.
- seven year old son likes to play fast. Those. we simultaneously begin to collect the same figure, who is faster? And sometimes the son just lies before going to bed and twists something from the Snake. But usually this torsion ends with a gun))
- Younger son loves to disassemble everything wound by us and turn it into shapelessness!
The most interesting thing about the Snake is what comes out of it. So less words, more deeds) Let's move on to practice - figures from Rubik's Snake (schemes, algorithms, video tutorials are missing, just a photo). What can be collected from the Rubik's Snake:
unpretentious figures
- Rectangle-brick)
- Frame
- Polygon
- Heart
Something more difficult...
- Ball (my favorite twist!)
- Propeller
- Three-leaf flower)
- Chess knight
- Vase
Animals and birds
- Dog
- Other breed of dog
- Wolf (long-faced dog)
- Cat
- Giraffe
- Snake
- Crab
- Falcon
- Swan
- Elephant
- Rooster
- Flamingo
- Firebird
- another bird)
And this is just what I remembered in half an hour of a photo shoot for Rubik's Snake) In general, as you understand, I specialize in animals and birds)), because they are clear to my sons. Although there are two dozen beautiful and wonderful abstract figures.
But as an advanced user with more than 28 years of experience playing Rubik's Snake))), I can also note a number of cons:
- Over time, after a couple of years, while turning the elements a creak appeared.
- One of the three snakes I bought Broke halfway through after 2 years after the purchase. Now there are 4 snakes in the family)) True, nothing intelligible can be built from the "shorty ones", but it is a pity to throw it away. By the way, in my childhood this was not observed with the "Soviet" puzzle, no breakdowns and squeaks. The snake was thrown out due to the yellowed color and plasticine stains, in general, due to the loss of presentation. When the younger sisters were born, the parents bought a new Rubik's Snake. The purchase of my personal snakes took place when my first child was already born.
- If there are 2 or more children in the house, not limited to buying one Snake. For some reason, children are simultaneously addicted to one toy, here and now, even if the difference between the guys is 5 years))
So here's my recommendation to you - buy Rubik's Snake, you won't regret it! It will not lie idle in families with children, and will entertain an adult on a trip or in a traffic jam as well as the coolest gadget with a bunch of applications), a review of the MOST BUDGET diapers of 4 brands, for schoolchildren - a good backpack.
- Ball (my favorite twist!)
- Rectangle-brick)
The desire to boast of any abilities lives in each of us. Someone can jump forward a decent distance, someone enjoys surprising others by reaching the tip of the tongue to the nose.
In the early 80s, a demonstration of intellectual abilities and manual dexterity in combination caused a special delight. Then new puzzles appeared in the USSR, including the Rubik's cube and the snake, from the links of which you can assemble many two-dimensional and three-dimensional figures.
Who invented the puzzle
The Hungarian inventor Erno Rubik became famous all over the world thanks to his Rubik's Cube - an intellectual game that requires concentration, a calm mood, systemic strategic thinking and sports excitement. The author patented the puzzle in 1975, and in the 80s it made him a millionaire.
Another, no less famous, but not so difficult puzzle that captivated children and adults from various social strata is Rubik's snake. The ball is the most popular, perhaps due to its compactness, a figure assembled from it.
What is a snake made of?
24 prisms, identical in size and interconnected by hinges, seem to be a simple device. Its original form for assembling figures really resembles an elongated snake. Usually the snake is two-colored - so it is easier to assemble it.
From the instructions for the puzzle, you will learn how to make a ball, a dog, a cat and many other intricate geometric shapes out of a snake.
Step-by-step instructions for assembling a ball from a snake
The puzzle at first seems unusually difficult. How to assemble a ball from a snake is completely incomprehensible. However, in just a few minutes, you will surely "tame the snake" and transform it into a smooth, beautiful figure.
So, how to make a ball out of a snake:
- You can start collecting the ball by turning the links of the snake both to the left and to the right. Lay the snake vertically in front of you so that the more elongated edge is on top, and the topmost prism is with its base towards the ceiling. Let's assume you are right handed. Take the prism in your left hand and rotate the top joint 90 degrees to the right with your right hand.
- Rotate the second prism in the same direction also by 90 degrees.
- We rotate the third joint of the snake in the same way, continuing to fold the prism segments in one direction.
- After you scroll the snake for the fourth time, as if wrapping it all the time to the right, you should get a completely distinct part of the future ball - a recess of three faces of the same color, and faces of a contrasting color adjoin each of them.
- Next, holding the snake itself, turn it towards you to the right.
- Repeat steps 1-4 to get another recess - the second part of the ball. Moreover, you need to perform the last two actions almost simultaneously, so that the prisms of the snake are tightly pressed against each other.
- And we repeat the key action - we turn the snake itself away from the ball, release it in order to make one more - the third part of the ball. Repeat steps 1-4 again and bend the snake away from the ball. In total, you will end up with 8 recesses.
- At the end, we get a practically assembled figure with a protruding tail. How to make a ball out of a snake so that it is even, regular, symmetrical? Find the "tail" from which you started collecting it, and move it away from the ball.
- The second end, consisting of two prisms, is turned to the right, and its very top is turned away from us.
- Now it's simple - lower both ends towards the ball. The snake ball is ready.
Why is an invention useful?
Rubik's snake perfectly develops spatial and figurative thinking and imagination. Indeed, in order to assemble a figure, you need to constantly keep its picture in your head and understand what you are striving for in the end. Creative people are sure to come up with something new in the process of deploying the snake's joints at their discretion.
It is also a kind of gymnastics for the joints of the hands. Rarely does anyone regularly perform gymnastics to prevent arthritis and arthrosis at an older age, and with a toy like a snake, this happens by itself.
After it is clear in practice how to assemble a ball from a snake, make another figure, come up with a story about it and tell it to the child. And be sure to help him see and imagine in the angular, for example, hippopotamus you made, his living prototype.
And then invite the kid to assemble something simple himself. Let him turn the snake to his heart's content, developing fine motor skills at the same time.
Which snake is better to choose
Rubik's snake can be large and small, in different colors. If you take the snake in your hands, it will immediately become clear how convenient it is to deal with it - check that it turns without much effort. In a good way, instructions should be included in the package, although you yourself can easily find different ways to assemble a puzzle of several levels of difficulty. Check out how-to videos: how to make a ball, swan, turtle, dinosaur or flower out of a snake.
It is convenient to carry a small snake with you - there are snakes even in the form of key rings. But the owner of a larger toy will surely feel like a real designer. The most important thing when choosing a snake is a strong desire to turn it in your hands and do something with it yourself.
Smart toy: Arina, instructions for assembling various figures from the "Snake" are in our plans! Smart toy: Dear customers, the figures presented in this article are the schemes for assembling the "Snake". The toy develops in 50 various figures. Among them, there are simple ones that are accessible to a preschooler and more difficult ones that require some training to assemble. Smart toy: Enter the number or name of the figure in the "Your feedback about the article" field. The snake is designed for children aged 5 years and over. I had the same toy in my distant childhood, then I got lost (or one of my younger relatives cut it) and forgot.
I usually twist and turn the Snake when I watch TV shows. Thanks to your site, I hate the snake! Thanks for the diagrams - otherwise I couldn’t remember anything except for a horse, a snake, a dog and a circle - to show my son (he’s five - and collect the snake there too !!! The snake turned out to be only 16 cm long, and the links turned very tight. Nobody not interested in this toy.
What figures can be made from the Snake - Smart toy. Smart toy: Yaroslav, and we would say that there are infinitely many snake figures! The article presents only the most famous examples. I'd like to add my pictures of the Zmeika figures. 11. I have had a snake for the third month. many of the figures that are published here I know and can do. I have known the snake for a long time, but I knew little of the figures. With the help of your site, I fixed it). We believe that every child on the planet should have a snake.
Smart toy: Svetlana, good luck in your future work with snakes! Smart toy: Andrey, thank you! Smart toy: Polina, hello! Smart toy: Alexander, thanks for the idea! Let's call it that!
The snake is designed for children aged 5 years and over. It consists of 24 triangles of the same size. Snake Cabin consists of 24 prisms connected in series with each other by a special spring mechanism with a rectangular cross section. Rubik's snake consists of 24 identical isosceles triangular prisms connected in series by the middle of the side faces.
Scheme for assembling a 2x2x2 cube. video how to assemble a Rubik's snake! Following the Rubik's Cube, he created the no less popular snake and the Magic Rings game. And here are 39 assembled Rubik's snake models, but all are very small. This allows you to create hundreds of figurines from Rubik's snake. Rubik's snake is one of the most popular puzzles of our time, created by the Hungarian inventor and sculptor Erno. Today we will make a Rubik's snake ball!
The desire to boast of any abilities lives in each of us. Someone can jump forward a decent distance, someone enjoys surprising others by reaching the tip of the tongue to the nose.
In the early 80s, a demonstration of intellectual abilities and manual dexterity in combination caused a special delight. Then new puzzles appeared in the USSR, including the Rubik's cube and the snake, from the links of which you can assemble many two-dimensional and three-dimensional figures.
Who invented the puzzle
The Hungarian inventor Erno Rubik became famous all over the world thanks to his Rubik's Cube - an intellectual game that requires concentration, a calm mood, systemic strategic thinking and sports excitement. The author patented the puzzle in 1975, and in the 80s it made him a millionaire.
Another, no less famous, but not so difficult puzzle that captivated children and adults from various social strata is Rubik's snake. The ball is the most popular, perhaps due to its compactness, a figure assembled from it.
What is a snake made of?
24 prisms, identical in size and interconnected by hinges, seem to be a simple device. Its original form for assembling figures really resembles an elongated snake. Usually the snake is two-colored - this way it is easier to assemble.
From the instructions for the puzzle, you will learn how to make a ball, a dog, a cat and many other intricate geometric shapes out of a snake.
Step-by-step instructions for assembling a ball from a snake
The puzzle at first seems unusually difficult. How to assemble a ball from a snake is completely incomprehensible. However, in just a few minutes, you will surely "tame the snake" and transform it into a smooth, beautiful figure.
So, how to make a ball out of a snake:
- You can start collecting the ball by turning the links of the snake both to the left and to the right. Lay the snake vertically in front of you so that the more elongated edge is on top, and the topmost prism is with its base towards the ceiling. Let's assume you are right handed. Take the prism in your left hand and rotate the top joint 90 degrees to the right with your right hand.
- Rotate the second prism in the same direction also by 90 degrees.
- We rotate the third joint of the snake in the same way, continuing to fold the prism segments in one direction.
- After you scroll the snake for the fourth time, as if wrapping it all the time to the right, you should get a completely distinct part of the future ball - a recess of three faces of the same color, and faces of a contrasting color adjoin each of them.
- Next, holding the snake itself, turn it towards you to the right.
- Repeat steps 1-4 to get another recess - the second part of the ball. Moreover, you need to perform the last two actions almost simultaneously, so that the prisms of the snake are tightly pressed against each other.
- And we repeat the key action - we turn the snake itself away from the ball, release it in order to make one more - the third part of the ball. Repeat steps 1-4 again and bend the snake away from the ball. In total, you will end up with 8 recesses.
- At the end, we get a practically assembled figure with a protruding tail. How to make a ball out of a snake so that it is even, regular, symmetrical? Find the "tail" from which you started collecting it, and move it away from the ball.
- The second end, consisting of two prisms, is turned to the right, and its very top is turned away from us.
- Now it's simple - lower both ends towards the ball. The snake ball is ready.
Why is an invention useful?
Rubik's snake perfectly develops spatial and figurative thinking and imagination. Indeed, in order to assemble a figure, you need to constantly keep its picture in your head and understand what you are striving for in the end. Creative people are sure to come up with something new in the process of deploying the snake's joints at their discretion.
It is also a kind of gymnastics for the joints of the hands. Rarely does anyone regularly perform gymnastics to prevent arthritis and arthrosis at an older age, and with a toy like a snake, this happens by itself.
After it is clear in practice how to assemble a ball from a snake, make another figure, come up with a story about it and tell it to the child. And be sure to help him see and imagine in the angular, for example, hippopotamus you made, his living prototype.
And then invite the kid to assemble something simple himself. Let him turn the snake to his heart's content, developing fine motor skills at the same time.
Which snake is better to choose
Rubik's snake can be large and small, in different colors. If you take the snake in your hands, it will immediately become clear how convenient it is to deal with it - check that it turns without much effort. In a good way, instructions should be included in the package, although you yourself can easily find different ways to assemble a puzzle of several levels of difficulty. Check out how-to videos: how to make a ball, swan, turtle, dinosaur or flower out of a snake.
It is convenient to carry a small snake with you - there are even snakes in the form of key rings. But the owner of a larger toy will surely feel like a real designer. The most important thing when choosing a snake is a strong desire to turn it in your hands and do something with it yourself.
Unlike a cube, Rubik's snake puzzle allows you to create a new figure each time. Few people know, but there are already more than a hundred of them. And new schemes are constantly appearing of what snake figures can actually be created.
The standard puzzle has 24 pieces. But there are also longer options, for example, with 36 or 48 parts.
Models that are created from it are divided into two-dimensional and three-dimensional. Some of them are quite simple, especially from the first group. Even younger students can handle it. But there are figures over which even a person with experience in assembling it will break his head.
It is interesting that in the general sense it cannot be called a puzzle. Because it is rather a constructor that needs to be assembled according to a pre-planned plan. Or come up with something special. And then teach it to others.
This Rubik's puzzle helps develop spatial imagination and creativity. It will turn out to be an indisputable assistant in the formation of logic for the one who collects it.
How to read figure assembly diagrams?
First you need to correctly position the snake. Its initial position is as follows: all parts form a straight line. If you look at it from the side, then the dark triangles are below. Accordingly, light ones are on top.
All dark triangles are numbered from 1 to 12. From left to right, of course. These dark parts in the process of assembling the figure from the snake remain motionless. Light parts will rotate. With this figure, the next paragraph of the instruction for assembling a figure from a snake will begin.
If you need to rotate the triangle that is on the left, then the letter “L” will be in the instructions. The right part rotates if the letter "P" is present.
The number of turns is limited to 3. Since the fourth will return the part to its original position. The number of turns comes after the letter indicating left or right. Movement is clockwise.
Thus, each part of the instructions for assembling a figure from a Rubik's snake is formed from three components:
- triangle number (1-12);
- turning side (L or R);
- number of turns (1-3).
For example, 10L1. She says that you need to rotate the light triangle to the left of 10 dark one once.
Keeping this rule in mind, it is easy to assemble any figure. And even write your own algorithm, if you come up with something special. And it will be clear to everyone. In order for the assembly technology to be understandable to foreigners, it is customary to replace the Russian letters L and P with the Latin L and R.
Figure called "Bow"
This game is a snake puzzle. Figures sometimes have a name that is not entirely clear where it came from. Same with this one. To many, it rather resembles a flower. The assembly algorithm consists of the following actions:
1P3; 2L1; 2P3; 3L3; 4P1; 4L3; 3P3; 5L3; 5P3; 6L1; 6P3; 9L3; 8P1; 8L3; 7P3; 7L3; 9P3; 10L1; 12P1; 12L3; 11P3; 11L3; 10P3.
Instruction decoding:
- the right from the first turns 3 times;
- left from the 2nd - 1 time;
- from her right - 3;
- right from the 3rd - 3 times;
- 1 right turn from 4th;
- from her left - 3;
- return to the third and turn right to 3;
- near the fifth, first the left by 3, and then the right also by 3;
- from the sixth rotate - left to 1, right to 3;
- near the ninth, turn the left triangle 3 times;
- about the eighth right 1 time, and the left makes 3 turns;
- from the seventh symmetrically to the left and to the right, 3 each;
- the tenth from the left has one turn;
- near the twelfth, the right one rotates 1 time and the left one 3;
- from the eleventh again symmetry on the left and on the right, 3 turns each;
- the right side from the 10th makes 3 turns.
Instructions for the figurine "Giraffe"
Another 3D model. Animal this time. Like the previous figure, it can be appreciated from all angles. Algorithm for assembling the model:
2P1; 3L3; 3P1; 4P3; 5L3; 4L2; 6L3; 6P3; 8P1; 8L3; 7P1; 7L2; 12P2.
How to make a compact triangle out of a snake?
The turn of figures has come, which denote inanimate objects. One example is a volumetric triangular prism. To create it, you will need the following instructions:
1P3; 3L2; 4P3; 3P2; 5P1; 5L2; 6P3; 7L2; 7P3; 6L2; 8P1; 8L2; 9P3; 11L2; 12P1; 9L2.
How to make a ball?
This is the most famous figure from this puzzle. The algorithm for its creation is as follows:
1P1; 2L3; 2P3; 3L1; 3P1; 4L1; 4P1; 5L3; 5P3; 12P3; 12L3; 11P3; 11L3; 10P1; 10L1; 9P1; 9L1; 8P3; 8L3; 7P1; 6P3; 6L3; 7L1.
One of many harness options
There are a large number of all kinds of weaving. This example strongly resembles a thick pigtail. In order to weave it, you will need to perform the following sequence of turns:
1P3; 2L1; 2P3; 3L1; 3P3; 4L1; 4P3; 5L1; 5P3; 6L1; 7L1; 7P1; 8L3; 8P1; 9L3; 9P1; 10L3; 10P1; 11L3; 11P1; 12L3; 12P3; 6P1.
Figurine "Duck"
Most of all the items that can be made from the puzzle are animals and birds or vehicles. This is an example of a snake figure that resembles a duck. Her algorithm:
1P2; 3P1; 4P1; 6L1; 8P1; 7L3; 6P2; 9P3; 9L2; 11L3; 12L3.
How to assemble the "Ostrich" figure?
Another bird, which requires a snake (figures) to create. Instructions for its assembly:
1P2; 3L1; 2P2; 3P3; 4L1; 4P1; 5L1; 6L3; 5P1; 6P3; 7L3; 8L1; 7P3; 8P1; 9L2; 10L2; 12P2.
It can even be placed and viewed from all sides. Real 3D model.
Model for romantics "Heart"
Allows you to express your feelings without words. Why not a valentine on And the algorithm is quite simple, at least short:
7L2; 9P1; 4P3; 3P3; 10P1; 12L2; 2L2.
As a conclusion
After creating several figures according to a pre-thought-out algorithm, you will definitely want to create something of your own. Perhaps it has already been invented by someone. But for someone who has thought of this before himself, the model will be a real discovery. And what can be a great incentive for development?
