This section is devoted to mathematical problems and puzzles that will appear in the journal Matematika, where I am the problems column editor. You are invited to try your wits..
(43) The famous KRYPTOS code is only partially solved, except for the last 97 letters. Here are the unsolved 97 letters. Can you decipher the message ?
OBKR UOXOGHULBSOLIFBBWFLRVQQPRNGKSSO TWTQSJQSSEKZZWATJKLUDIAWINFBNYP VTTMZFPKWGDKZXTJCDIGKUHUAUEKCAR
PRIZE NOTICE:
To the first person who correctly deciphers this code, I'll mail a free CD (shipping fee of $2.00 not included) loaded with software like: 3d virtual room planner, pc attorney, forms maker and filler, 20 solid gold games, swift galaxy guide, crossword maker, pinball express 3d virtual reality landscaper, business attorney, + much more.
The other 768 letters are solved, and contains the following text:
Between subtle shading and the absence of light lies the nuance of illusion. It was totally invisible. How's that possible? They used the earth's magnetic field. The information w as gathered and transmitted underground to an unknown location. Does Langley know about this? They should: it's buried out there somewhere. Who knows the exact location? Only WW. This was his last message. Thirty-eight degrees fifty-seven minutes six point five seconds north, seventy-seven degrees eight minutes forty-four seconds west. ID by rows. Slowly, desparately slowly, the remains of passage debris that encumbered the lower part of the doorway was removed. With trembling hands I made a tiny breach in the upper left-hand corner. And then, widening the hole a little, I inserted the candle and peered in. The hot air escaping from the chamber caused the flame to flicker, but presently details of the room within emerged from the mist. Can you see anything?
Yours truly has discovered the methods for encrypting the above decoded message. Email me if you're interested in knowing how.
(Hint: 1st and 2nd part of above code is encoded with the vigenere tableaux and the 3rd part uses transposition.)
Solution to last week's problem.
Comments and solutions are welcome.