wu :: forums - Print Page


    
      
        wu :: forums
        (http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~wwu/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi)
      

        riddles >> hard >> Complicated Hidden Message
        
(Message started by: nicole on Jan 23^rd, 2009, 6:35pm)

Title: Complicated Hidden Message
Post by nicole on Jan 23^rd, 2009, 6:35pm

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v206/Kennaki/puzzle.gif

I do not know how to solve such a puzzle, especially without rules. Anyone have any ideas or answers?

Title: Re: Complicated Hidden Message
Post by ThudanBlunder on Jan 23^rd, 2009, 8:06pm

To start, you could try simple Rot13 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ROT13). (Negative in this case.)

Or make a histogram of letter frequencies to check if it is a simple alphabetic substitution code.

Title: Re: Complicated Hidden Message
Post by nicole on Jan 28^th, 2009, 2:42am

I can't do this. Wow, I think this puzzle just might be impossible.

Title: Re: Complicated Hidden Message
Post by towr on Jan 28^th, 2009, 2:54am

Hmm, I'm fairly sure I had made a post here.

But yes, this puzzle is most likely impossible unless you can read the mind of whoever came up with it.
It is almost certainly not a substitution cipher, and there's really not a clue of how to approach it.

Title: Re: Complicated Hidden Message
Post by ThudanBlunder on Jan 28^th, 2009, 3:48am

on 01/23/09 at 18:35:22, nicole wrote:

I do not know how to solve such a puzzle, especially without rules. Anyone have any ideas or answers?

Where did you find it?

Title: Re: Complicated Hidden Message
Post by Grimbal on Jan 28^th, 2009, 6:13am

I am fairly sure there was a post giving a few character frequencies and offered the transcription in text.

Title: Re: Complicated Hidden Message
Post by towr on Jan 28^th, 2009, 7:04am

on 01/28/09 at 06:13:25, Grimbal wrote:

I am fairly sure there was a post giving a few character frequencies and offered the transcription in text.

Yeah, that was mine; I wonder where it went. Maybe it got tired of hanging around and went home.

Well, it's easy enough to replicate.

frequency table:
A 14
B 9
C 18
D 16
E 15
F 14
G 15
H 14
I 17
J 7
K 19
L 20
M 22
N 24
O 18
P 18
Q 8
R 12
S 12
T 23
U 8
V 17
W 14
X 20
Y 12
Z 14

transcription:
DYOFBNHKZTNCLGFVOWHN
ECFYXYZECZXJNTODITID
EIVYCCSMSFQPKZARXKIZ
BWWLNRRQVTNTTMXXXRDS
XVDSOIVHPCOEIVKNJPOA
ZJAZTFHXKIGQSTEOGWJS
ZMWYRAKBOMUKKLITSGVW
AFIXFNJKIZQDOKXCXCGC
AOVCUPCGUXTMGIVLZLDP
AVHUAYSWEHPGNGLHNROF
NWKRMNYKOIQXYNNMLVMP
MCLPLPADKWSWREVPKLTH
GPXOWNXLWLHTPFTSGAHL
FOVMWHGYLKXTRXMEBXAI
KTZELRIMPEVITDLSHBLT
TRFTAUXMWNTFLMOKEYME
DBCYPVDXDDBYSQPNMLTR
MJDCKUNKAJEQNENQIHON
CGOFNVZPMHCFCADVMTIT
ZGOULPDNPMNCMGBBMEZU