How to use the Pyraminx simulator
The Pyraminx is shown unfolded, with its four faces side by side in the default color scheme. Click the arrows to turn the puzzle: the small arrows twist only a tip, while the large ones turn a corner together with the layer below it.
Calculating the solution
Press Edit to enter your scramble. The tips and the center pieces are already set, because each of them lines up with a single turn; only the edges are left blank, as they are the real challenge. Add the three blue stickers first, then green, yellow and finally red.
The program fills in what it can deduce as you go, so the last colors are added automatically and you can't create an impossible puzzle. Press Solve to get the moves, each one shown on the 3D Pyraminx. Before you start turning, make sure you hold your puzzle in the same orientation as the one on the screen.
Reading the solution
Capital letters (U, L, R, F) turn a corner together with the layer below it; lowercase letters (u, l, r, f) turn only the tip. A letter on its own is a clockwise turn as you look at that corner, and an apostrophe means counterclockwise.
How the solver works
The solver splits the puzzle into two parts.
- It turns each tip to match the three colors around it. A tip never needs more than one turn, so this part is quick.
- It solves the rest with the big turns only. It tries every 1-move answer, then every 2-move answer, and keeps going until one works.
Without the tips, a Pyraminx never needs more than 11 turns, so the search always ends. Because it starts with the shortest length, the big-turn part of the answer is as short as it can be. The tables the solver uses are built in your browser when the page loads, and nothing is sent to a server.
The answer shows up as a list of moves, then one picture per step with an arrow for the turn. If your puzzle is only one turn away from solved, the page tells you so and asks if you really need a solver for that. 😄
Solve it yourself
Press Scramble for a random position and try to restore it with the arrows. Start by turning each tip to match the pieces next to it; after that, most of the work is placing the six edges with the larger turns. The Ruwix Pyraminx guide explains a simple method step by step. When you solve a scramble on your own, the page says "Well done!"
What the Pyraminx is made of
| Part | How many | How it moves |
|---|---|---|
| Tips | 4 | Twist on their own. Each has 3 positions. |
| Centers | 4 | Sit under the tips and only turn in place. Each has 3 positions. |
| Edges | 6 | Move around the puzzle and can flip over. Each has 2 colors. |
The tips are why you'll see two different position counts for this puzzle. Leave them out and there are 933,120 positions. Count them in and you get 81 times as many, which is 75,582,720. 🔺
About the Pyraminx
The Pyraminx is a tetrahedron-shaped puzzle invented by Uwe Mèffert. Leaving out the four tips, which take a single turn each, it has 933,120 positions, far fewer than the Rubik's Cube. It is an official World Cube Association event, and top competitors solve it in under two seconds. Ready for more? Try the Rubik's Cube solver or learn the 3x3 beginner's method.