Chapter 5

E: Interesting. It's getting late. Maybe you should take an evening stroll or a night walk to get inspiration for this one. Take a notebook with you. Make sure it's the right size. Start with A5, next to B7 it's much bigger.

The image comprises a square eight-by-eight grid of symbols. The
symbols are all letters.

The symbols in the first line are: U O H A A T N I
Next line: T H K D E T I H
Next line: T E F I M N S U
Next line: W S C V I Z E L
Next line: I C H A N E M Y
Next line: E H T N W N R P
Next line: U C S T O O X B
Final line: E I D F I E R S

The image above contains a hidden question. Please enter your answer to the question in the box below. If the answer is a number please enter it using numerals rather than words.

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

If x = 8, y = 8 and z = 8, what is x × y + z?

This problem was first solved on Tue 4th March at 7:15:19am

Alan Turing Cryptography Competition 2025 is organised by the The Department of Mathematics at The University of Manchester.
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