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        riddles >> easy >> Another secret code
        
(Message started by: towr on Sep 23^rd, 2003, 7:12am)

Title: Another secret code
Post by towr on Sep 23^rd, 2003, 7:12am

try to break the code, I'm sure it won't be to hard for you Sherlocks :P

(53 + (90 - 1) + 16) * ((99 - 16) + (17 - 6) + (63 - 92) + (62 - 16) + (34 - 16) + 7 + 73 + (36 - 19) + 39) * ((61 - 15) + 39) * ((60 - 7) + (2 - 1) + 18) * (74 + (89 - 6) + (22 - 53) + 16 + 8 + 7)

for extra credit, find the obvious flaw in this code.

Title: Re: Another secret code
Post by Speaker on Sep 24^th, 2003, 12:42am

Okay, I have a question. What the heck is zero?
Trying to figure out this code, I mapped the numbers in various ways over the English Alphabet. However, you have some negative numbers, which I just assigned positive values, but not before considering how to jump over the zero so that 1 and -1 would both be "A". Which led me to no answer, but made me think about zero.

About the code, after mapping I checked for occurance of specific letters and thought I had something because I found three "E"s. But no luck.
I imagine there is some formula to solve the code. (The previous statement is a lie.)

Title: Re: Another secret code
Post by towr on Sep 24^th, 2003, 8:30am

there is no zero
The mapping isn't quite trivial, even though it is a (location independant) substitute-code.

Title: Re: Another secret code
Post by otter on Sep 24^th, 2003, 2:20pm

on 09/23/03 at 07:12:03, towr wrote:

Based solely on the clue, I'd love to say "elementary, my dear Watson", but the truth is I haven't a clue.

Title: Re: Another secret code
Post by Speaker on Sep 24^th, 2003, 5:56pm

Otter, you are so right.
Its elementary my dear Watson.

Very nice towr. Reminds me of another code in which the answer was "My Blessing."

Title: Re: Another secret code
Post by Speaker on Sep 24^th, 2003, 6:00pm

For the extra credit, I would say that you Just couldn't Quite express some words in the code.

Title: Re: Another secret code
Post by Speaker on Sep 24^th, 2003, 6:22pm

Just for fun

6 + 2 + (34-16) + (36 - 19) + 53 + 8 :D

Title: Re: Another secret code
Post by towr on Sep 24^th, 2003, 11:47pm

Yep, that solves it.
Now if only we could get them to name a few of the newest elements with somethign beginning with a Q or J, that'd solve the problem.
And of course you can make the code a lot more complicated by subsequence removal over larger distances, and by greater subsequences.