# Regarding "Solved State" and "Fewest Moves Solving"



## JasonDL13 (Aug 14, 2014)

In the WCA Regulations it explains the solved state:

"10e) A puzzle is solved when all coloured parts are reassembled and all parts are aligned within the limits specified below:
10e1) For each two adjacent parts (e.g. two parallel, adjacent slices of a cube) of the puzzle that are misaligned more than the limit described in Regulation 10f, the puzzle is considered to require one additional move to solve (see "Outer Block Turn Metric" in Article 12).
10e2) If no further moves are required to bring the puzzle to its solved state, the puzzle is considered solved without penalty."

Okay. If it's one turn away it's +2 seconds. But what about for fewest move solving?

I cannot find something in fewest move solving that makes an exception to this. So does this mean someone can leave a cube one turn away in fewest moves and consider it solved?

If someone can correct me that would be great, or not, and it will have to be changed.

Thanks.


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## stoic (Aug 14, 2014)

Surely if you add 2 seconds to the time in FMC you DNF'd by going over the hour?


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## CyanSandwich (Aug 14, 2014)

ellwd said:


> Surely if you add 2 seconds to the time in FMC you DNF'd by going over the hour?


In MBLD you can go over the hour with time penalties.
Time isn't part of your result in FMC so it would be pointless +2ing, or if they use it to DNF you it might as well just be a DNF in the first place.
Unless there's some way to tell if they were done with more than 2 seconds to spare.

I'm assuming one move away at the moment is a DNF. I think +2 moves would be a fair penalty.


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## Julian (Aug 14, 2014)

It's a DNF, it's happened to me  (writing down solution up until last 5 seconds)


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## Dene (Aug 14, 2014)

Perhaps the regulations around Article E and Article 10 need to be cleaned up a bit. But regardless, there is no time penalty for FMC. It is an entirely different event and you can safely consider Article 10 to only apply to speed solving events (i.e. everything else).


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## brian724080 (Aug 14, 2014)

It's a DNF. For FMC you have to provide a solution, and if it's even one turn away, it's not a solution.


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## supercavitation (Aug 14, 2014)

Do your cubes need to be solved at the end of it as well, or do you just need to have correct solution written down?


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## ryanj92 (Aug 14, 2014)

supercavitation said:


> Do your cubes need to be solved at the end of it as well, or do you just need to have correct solution written down?



It's only the solutions that are important - the cubes you bring are just for your benefit


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## AvGalen (Aug 24, 2014)

ryanj92 said:


> It's only the solutions that are important - the cubes you bring are just for your benefit


Entirely vague and perfectly correct answer. You don't even have to use a cube! If you want to do it entirely mentally that would be allowed as well. (as long as you write down the solution correctly and can explain it when a judge asks)


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## guysensei1 (Aug 24, 2014)

AvGalen said:


> Entirely vague and perfectly correct answer. You don't even have to use a cube! If you want to do it entirely mentally that would be allowed as well. (as long as you write down the solution correctly and can explain it when a judge asks)



O_O

Someone should do this.


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## goodatthis (Aug 24, 2014)

My view on the matter at hand:

In some math exams with open-ended responses, there are two types of errors, a computational error and a conceptual error. A computational error is an error such as adding 2+2 and getting 5. A conceptual error is an error where you are actually wrong about the concepts used to solve the problem. An example of this (and a personal experience, kept me from getting one of the top scores in my class on the state final) is in a binomial probability problem, where I forgot a final term, which happened to be a very rare event that was supposed to be added on to my overall probability that I calculated. The difference was .01 I think, but I got more points taken off than if I had rounded incorrectly or something. 

So if we apply the same reasoning to FMC, we see that the same two types of errors apply: you could simply forget AUF, which I guess you could call a computational error, since it's minuscule and doesn't inherently affect the way the problem is being solved, and you have a conceptual error, which could be something like forgetting to undo a premove at the end of your solution, which is a vital thing if you are using the "method" of premoves. 

Now since the WCA has to stay neutral on methods used, you can't distinguish between computational and conceptual errors made in a solution. So this is why I think the rule should stay how it is, because sometimes it might not just be laziness, it might be an actual error in how you create your solution. After all, they don't give +2s for not undoing a setup move in the middle of a blindsolve, nor do they give +2s for writing R instead of R' in an FMC solution.


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## AvGalen (Aug 25, 2014)

TLDR: +2 is for time, not moves. FMC is scored entirely on moves.

Long story
+2's are for misalignments during speedsolves that can happen by under or overturning on the last move, or by simply being unlucky while dropping the puzzle.
A +2 in blind is there for the same reasons, but could be abused a tiny bit when you don't know if you did the last M2 (solved or DNF) so you do an L2 (+2 or +2). However it is needed for the same reason as during other speedsolves
A +2 in FMC? It has no purpose


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## Bob (Aug 25, 2014)

goodatthis said:


> In some math exams with open-ended responses, there are two types of errors, a computational error and a conceptual error.



As soon as I read this sentence, I thought of the NY Regents exams. LMAO.


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