A Rubik’s Cube puzzle can have up to 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 different configurations, with only one possible solution, but that does not stop senior computer science major Chris Parlette from solving the puzzle. Although it’s a game, Parlette uses algorithms to solve it in record time.

Parlette has competed in Rubik’s Cube competitions in the past; his fastest time at solving the color-coded movable cube is 22 seconds.

Parlette recently competed in the Horace Mann Spring speed-cubing tournament in May, which consisted of different types of Rubik’s Cube races. Parlette solved a 3x3x3 cube in 32.35 seconds and a 4x4x4 cube in 2:49.40 seconds. Overall, he placed 14th out of 32 and ninth out of 18, respectively.

He also set a world record with a time of 10.20 seconds with a 14-sided rainbow cube and a world-record average time of 14.32 seconds.

Parlette said the intriguing thing about the cube is he can approach it in an analytical, mathematical way.

“It’s competitive, but more about bettering yourself than beating the other guys,” Parlette said.

Sophomore Brian Drupieski, a cell, molecular biology and genetics major, disagrees; he said it is actually quite simple, and the process becomes intuitive.

“It gets me all the ladies,” Drupieski said about why he has continued with the cube for the past two years.

Brian Cohan, a sophomore fire protection engineering major, said he follows more of an algorithm; he works from the top layer of the cube, does each four corners, does the bottom layer and ends with an attack on the middle layer to quickly solve the cube and make all the colors line up.

“I like the fact that I can do it and other people can’t,” Cohan said.

Parlette plans to compete in Rubik’s World Championship 2005 Nov. 5 and 6 in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

He became interested in this 31-year-old toy just three years ago after a high school math teacher showed him how to solve it. He began researching different ways of solving it on the Internet.

Parlette practices the Fridrich method, known as the most popular speed-cubing method analyzed in two steps and allows him to focus on each layer.

The fastest time for a Rubik’s cube solution is 16.53 seconds, according to Guinness World Records.