columbus area mensa,col-m, puzzles, 2000 april

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The March cryptogram was:

WAR IS A SERIES OF CATASTROPHES THAT RESULT IN A VICTORY — GEORGES CLEMENCEAU.

(Clemenceau, 1841-1929, French statesman and prime minister.) Correct answers came from Delmar Burkitt, Carla Darnell, Andrzej Derdzinski, Jeff Gerken, Steve Herrick, John Jackson, Alma Litten, Julia Minturn, Kevin Skehan, David Smith, Dennis Tomlinson, Dorothy Utendorf, and Sally Yocom.

In puzzle #2 the correct order of finish overall was ABCD. Many interpreted overall as the results for each of the three races (400 m = ACDB; 800 m = CABD; and mile = DBAC). Either approach was credited if correct. Correct answers came from Delmar, Andrzej, Jeff, Steve, Alma, Kevin, Dennis, and Dorothy.

Puzzles 3 and 4 are Dudeney puzzles (from the 19th century puzzle master). #3 was the bell rope which turns out to be 32 feet, 1.5 inches, or 385.5 inches. In Puzzle #4, the number sought is 836, which when squared gives 698896, a palindrome with an even number of digits. Correct answers to both puzzles came from Delmar, Andrzej, and Steve, while Jeff, Bob, and Dennis each had one of the two correct.

This month's first puzzle is the cryptogram. Each letter stands for a different letter in the decoded message.

Z R X I S M C R T X S S V H F S M C L V R E E I W H V A Z H B C S H X X I S A M W R J V F

This puzzle is adapted from the column Enigma by Robert Eastaway in the New Scientist by permission.

James noticed something odd in the last four digits of the phone numbers of four of his relatives, Uncle Norman, Aunt Flora, Uncle David, and Aunt Sue. All four numbers are different and none contain the digit nine.

If you add one to each digit of David's number, the result is Norman's number. Similarly, one added to each digit of Flora's number results in Sue's number. He also determined that the last four digits of the product of his two uncles' numbers formed David's number, and that the product of the two aunts' numbers ended in Flora's number. Finally, he observed that the product of David's number and half the sum of its digits equaled Flora's number.

What was Uncle Norman's number?

This puzzle is adapted from the column Enigma by Robert Eastaway in the New Scientist by permission.

"I don't know about that movie" said Edith, still somewhat dazed. "These modern films do get so involved. I don't know why they strangled that famous neurosurgeon while he was in the shower."

That was because of the conversation he had with Boris and the heroine's solicitor when they were flying in that damaged jet," replied George.

"Boris was the blond guy who later watched in horror as that psychopathic psychiatrist fellow took the fatal plunge from the multistory inferno..."

"No, no, that was Charlie."

"So who was the bald one who was running away from that UFO thingy?"

"Oh, he was the one who was savaged by the giant shark after falling out of the boat."

"And that was Derek, wasn't it?"

"Wrong again, love. Derek was the man from the CIA who was peering through the eyes of that Rembrandt when somebody stabbed the man who was mistaken for the lawyer."

"That means," said Edith, thinking hard, "that the one who lived happily ever after must have been Alvin, the drug-smuggling baseball player."

"My love, you're getting very confused. Remember, Alvin snuffed it shortly after the visit from Charlie's widow." There was a brief silence. "So... how did Eric fit into all of this?"

Since Eric was one of only five men being described in the conversation, I'm sure you can answer that, and also work out the sequence in which the characters met their fate.

Correct answers and puzzle solvers will appear next month. Send answers by April 17th to Dick Nuenke; 1460 Kingsgate Rd.; Columbus, OH 43221 or call in (recording 24 hours) to 326-0452; fax to 292-4118; or e-mail to rnuenke@columbus.rr.com