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Date: Mon, 09 Jan 1995 21:08:32 -0600 (MDT)From: "Alan A. Hodson" Subject: [MM] Challenge # 13: Mother dear!To: mathmagic-k-3@mathforum.org, mathmagic-4-6@mathforum.orgCc: mathmagic-7-9@mathforum.org, mathmagic-10-12@mathforum.org

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MathMagic Cycle 13: All Levels a.k.a. Challenge # 13:The mother of all codes

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Happy new year to all MathMagicians!

Like in most activities, there will be times when teams participatingin challenges are stump and need some fuel (help) to get them to theirdestination.

What I thought we do is revive and old coding scheme that I believe hasbeen around for a few hundred years and was even used during the AmericanCivil war called the VISIONAIRE CODE. I am doing this out of memory, andmust confess I am having a hard time finding references to it, so any help with

the name and source will be appreciated. I will be coding some hintswhen the challenges are too difficult, so we must familiarize ourselveswith how the code works.

It goes like this: (If you use a Word Processor to write this out, makesure your font is a proportional one such as Courier)

Using a 55X55 grid, and starting from left to right at the top, leaveone blank space and then write the alphabet in order. For MM purposeswe are going to add numbers 1 through 0 and these characters:

!@#$%^&*()+-/=There should be 53 spaces, including the first blank.

Under the black space write now the first letter (A) and all others,basically shifting all characters one space to the left. The lastcharacter should now be an A.

Under the letter A write the second letter (B) shifting to the left.The last two characters should now be AB.

Under the letter B write the third letter (C) shifting to the left.Continue this process until you have a 53X53 grid:

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ1234567890!@#$%^&*()+-/= (Remember toABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ1234567890!@#$%^&*()+-/=A use proportion-BCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ1234567890!@#$%^&*()+-/=AB al fonts when

CDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ1234567890!@#$%^&*()+-/=ABC viewing/usingDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ1234567890!@#$%^&*()+-/=ABCD this file)

The way this coding/decoding devise works is by using a control wordthat "selects" one letter at a time the column you are going tomatch with a given row. For our learning purposes we are going toselect MATHMAGICINTERNET as our control word.

When I am ready to send a message, I write (and repeat) my controlword. Say I want to send the message BAD CAB. Even though they are two

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to join the rows and the columns accurately.

Be good and wellMrH