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Chat => Chit Chat => Topic started by: burakkucat on November 17, 2016, 08:48:07 PM

Title: GCHQ's Code-Breaker Challenge
Post by: burakkucat on November 17, 2016, 08:48:07 PM
Here is the challenge --

If Samuel transcribed what Louis wrote...
...and Louis wrote what Ludwik translated...
...and Ludwik translated what Tim said...
...then what did Tim say?

Here is Samuel’s transcription:

IN AAAAIAN INAAANAIA IA IAINA AI AA IAIIA IAA AAIAAINN AA IAAANN IAINANI
NA ANNNNMA NAANIANMN NN ANNAN NN AM MNNNN ANI MAAINNIA AM NNAMIA NNAANIN
AM MMIAAMA MMIMAAMMA MM AMAAA MA AM AAAMA AAA MAMAAAAM AM AAIMMM MMMMAMA

CLUE: The key to unlocking the puzzle is identifying Samuel, Louis and Ludwik. There are links between them!

And here is the link (http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/radio4/GCHQ_Codebreaker_Challenge.pdf) to the original PDF file.
Title: Re: GCHQ's Code-Breaker Challenge
Post by: sevenlayermuddle on November 18, 2016, 12:02:07 AM
Quote from: burakkucat on November 17, 2016, 08:48:07 PM

CLUE: The key to unlocking the puzzle is identifying Samuel, Louis and Ludwik. There are links between them!


Hmm, there's not many names contain 'u', but these are three of them?    :-\
Title: Re: GCHQ's Code-Breaker Challenge
Post by: burakkucat on November 18, 2016, 03:48:40 PM
I haven't given it too much thought but my initial reaction was to list the names and see what came to mind whilst considering they are part of a code challenge --

Samuel -- Samuel Morse -- Morse code ?
Louis    --  ?
Ludwik  --  ?
Tim      --  Tim Berners-Lee ?

Perhaps we need to convert each of the characters in the given message to Morse code and lay out the result in strict time sequence. The length of a "dot" is one time unit. The length of one "dash" is three time units. The length between parts of the same character is one time unit. The length between characters is three time units. The length between words is seven time units.

The first two "words" are "IN AAAAIAN ". Let the "#" character represent a unit of time. Let a plus character, "+", represent the audio tone generated by an oscillator that is being keyed to communicate the above two words and a space character, " ", represent the absence of the audio tone. I now see --

Code: [Select]
############################################################################
+ +   +++ +       + +++   + +++   + +++   + +++   + +   + +++   +++ +       
   

Hmm . . . I need to use squared paper, where each square is one time unit and a filled in square indicates the tone from the audio oscillator.

Sudden thought after looking at the preview of this post -- Braille. Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braille) tells me that Braille was created by the Frenchman, Louis Braille.

So convert characters seen to Morse code on a strict time scale and then lookup the result as Braille.

Who is Ludwik? It's certainly not Ludwig van Beethoven, note the different spelling . . . Calling all Kitizens  :help:
Title: Re: GCHQ's Code-Breaker Challenge
Post by: roseway on November 18, 2016, 04:19:25 PM
As Ludwik did some translating, perhaps he's Ludwik Zamenhof, inventor of Esperanto.
Title: Re: GCHQ's Code-Breaker Challenge
Post by: burakkucat on November 18, 2016, 04:31:13 PM
Ooh yes. I like that train of thought.  :)

Samuel -- Samuel Morse      -- Morse code
Louis    --  Louis Braille         -- Braille writing
Ludwik  --  Ludwik Zamenhof -- Esperanto language
Tim      --  Tim Berners-Lee ?

I wonder what Tim Berners-Lee might have said that is of relevance and significance?
Title: Re: GCHQ's Code-Breaker Challenge
Post by: burakkucat on November 24, 2016, 12:12:39 AM
Having been distracted with other things, I never got around to writing the Morse code on a sheet of squared paper . . .  :no:

The challenge is now over and the solution (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1db9cmBpWQDVGnTW7m57HKs/gchq-code-breaker-challenge-the-solution) is available.

However I am pleased to see that all four guesses concerning the names were correct and the proposed method for the solution was also correct.  :)

So what was it that Tim Berners-Lee said? The answer is --

"We need diversity of thought in the world to face the new challenges."
Title: Re: GCHQ's Code-Breaker Challenge
Post by: 4candles on November 24, 2016, 02:23:50 PM
According to the Independent (http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/tim-berners-lee-on-creating-the-web-i-never-expected-all-these-cats-9189946.html) he also said, in 2014 - "I never expected all these cats."   ;D