Chapter 6

Ellie pushed the pile of books off the desk so that she could spread out the newspaper. She grabbed her favourite 3B pencil and turned to the crossword. "What!", she exclaimed, "Well, I wonder how much that cost you Mike." The usual cryptic crossword had been replaced by a strange arrangement of letters and numbers with a caption that read "E. this one is just for you M." The letters and numbers are shown below...

A table of symbols. The table comprises 15 columns and 11 rows. Each symbol is either a capital letter, a capital letter with one or more digits above it, or a dash with a digit above it. The letters and numbers are in a gothic font. Row 1 : A horizontal dash with the number 1 appearing immediately above the dash, A gothic letter S, A gothic letter P with the number 1 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter X with the number 4 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter R with the number 3 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter H, A gothic letter W with the number 4 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter P with the number 3 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter J, A horizontal dash with the number 3 appearing immediately above the dash, A gothic letter W, A horizontal dash with the number 1 appearing immediately above the dash, A gothic letter R, A gothic letter C, A horizontal dash with the number 4 appearing immediately above the dash Row 2 : A gothic letter K, A gothic letter X, A gothic letter L with the number 2 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter K with the number 3 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter Y with the number 2 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter G with the numbers 2 and 4 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter Q with the number 2 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter X, A gothic letter V with the number 3 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter H, A gothic letter W with the number 4 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter P with the number 3 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter J, A gothic letter W, A gothic letter Z Row 3 : A gothic letter L with the number 4 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter W with the number 2 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter K with the number 1 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter H with the number 2 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter W, A horizontal dash with the number 1 appearing immediately above the dash, A gothic letter V with the number 2 appearing immediately above the letter, A horizontal dash with the number 1 appearing immediately above the dash, A gothic letter P, A gothic letter P, A horizontal dash with the number 3 appearing immediately above the dash, A gothic letter J with the number 2 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter R, A gothic letter X with the number 3 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter H with the number 1 appearing immediately above the letter Row 4 : A gothic letter P, A gothic letter V with the number 2 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter G with the number 5 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter P with the number 1 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter V, A gothic letter S with the number 4 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter P, A gothic letter C, A gothic letter G with the number 4 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter R, A gothic letter W, A gothic letter Q with the numbers 2 and 2 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter X with the number 3 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter R, A gothic letter G Row 5 : A horizontal dash with the number 1 appearing immediately above the dash, A gothic letter X, A gothic letter X, A gothic letter L with the number 2 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter W with the number 1 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter Q with the number 2 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter X, A gothic letter L, A gothic letter V with the numbers 2 and 2 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter J with the number 3 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter Q with the number 2 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter R, A gothic letter W with the numbers 3 and 4 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter R with the number 1 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter P Row 6 : A horizontal dash with the number 1 appearing immediately above the dash, A gothic letter R, A gothic letter G, A gothic letter P with the number 2 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter W, A horizontal dash with the number 1 appearing immediately above the dash, A gothic letter V with the number 2 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter G with the number 5 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter P with the number 1 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter V, A gothic letter J with the number 4 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter J with the number 2 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter H with the number 1 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter L with the number 2 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter J Row 7 : A gothic letter V with the number 4 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter R, A horizontal dash with the number 3 appearing immediately above the dash, A gothic letter W, A horizontal dash with the number 4 appearing immediately above the dash, A gothic letter R with the number 2 appearing immediately above the letter, A horizontal dash with the number 4 appearing immediately above the dash, A gothic letter K, A gothic letter X, A gothic letter L with the number 2 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter S, A gothic letter P with the number 1 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter X with the number 4 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter R with the number 3 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter H Row 8 : A gothic letter W with the number 4 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter P with the number 3 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter J, A gothic letter W, A horizontal dash with the number 1 appearing immediately above the dash, A gothic letter R, A gothic letter J, A horizontal dash with the number 3 appearing immediately above the dash, A gothic letter X, A gothic letter W, A gothic letter K with the number 1 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter H with the number 2 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter W, A horizontal dash with the number 1 appearing immediately above the dash, A gothic letter V with the number 2 appearing immediately above the letter Row 9 : A gothic letter V with the number 2 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter G with the number 5 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter P with the number 1 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter V, A gothic letter S with the number 2 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter R, A gothic letter X with the number 1 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter G with the number 4 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter R, A gothic letter W, A gothic letter L with the number 4 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter Z, A gothic letter Q with the number 1 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter R, A gothic letter C Row 10 : A gothic letter W with the number 5 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter H, A gothic letter L, A gothic letter S with the number 2 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter R, A gothic letter X with the number 1 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter G with the number 4 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter R, A gothic letter W, A horizontal dash with the number 1 appearing immediately above the dash, A gothic letter V with the number 2 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter R with the numbers 2 and 2 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter J with the number 2 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter J, A gothic letter X with the number 4 appearing immediately above the letter Row 11 : A gothic letter K with the number 4 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter V, A gothic letter Q, A horizontal dash with the number 1 appearing immediately above the dash, A gothic letter V with the number 2 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter G with the number 5 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter P with the number 1 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter V, A gothic letter J with the number 4 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter J with the number 2 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter H with the number 1 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter L with the number 2 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter J, A gothic letter V with the number 4 appearing immediately above the letter, A gothic letter R

The image above contains a hidden question, please enter the answer below. If the answer is a number then please enter it to two decimal places.

To deter guessing without thinking, we ask that you also solve the following simple arithmetic problem before checking your answer:

If x = 2, y = 3 and z = 8, what is x + y - z?

This problem was first solved on Mon 26th February at 4:18:36pm

Alan Turing Cryptography Competition 2024 is organised by the The Department of Mathematics at The University of Manchester.
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