Notation

To be able to read and memorize an algorithm, you need to be able to understand and interpret the notation which they are written in. All faces of the cube are given a letter to represent it. For example, the left face of the cube is given the letter "L" for left, the right face "R" for right, etc. If you see "R" it means turn the right face of the cube 90 degrees clockwise. If you see " R' " it means turn the right face 90 degress counter clockwise. There are many more elements to notation, but pictures explain it much better. These pictures have been taken from badmephisto's iPhone app. Use the orientation of the cube in the first picture as the starting state of the cube. The rest of the pictures show the state of the cube after the particular notation move has been performed.