Re: [Palindrome] solving statistics

["Alexandra Fiona Dixon" <a dixon aya yale edu>]

OK, let me step back and ask a clarifying question.

Say there are six yellow puzzles.  Each one yields a word or phrase as 
its solution (usually a word?)
The six individual solutions are put together and manipulated to extract 
the yellow meta-solution.
And occasionally that can be done with only five solutions.

Is that correct so far?

If so, are you saying that by reverse-engineering the solution to the 
yellow meta-puzzle, you can also reverse-engineer the sixth answer - and 
you would submit BOTH to the Huntmasters?
Alexandra


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Eric Albert" <Eric Albert alumni brown edu>
To: "Alexandra Fiona Dixon" <a dixon aya yale edu>; 
<palindrome cosmos phy tufts edu>
Sent: Friday, January 21, 2005 3:23 PM
Subject: Re: [Palindrome] solving statistics


> > Meaning, the number of puzzles solved for a team smart enough to back 
> > into the meta-solution would actually be *lower* wouldn't it?
> No, because whenever a team back-solves a puzzle, they immediately 
> call in that solution to the Huntmasters, because the team wants to 
> get credit for it.  Among other things, credit is often needed in 
> order to get access to further puzzles.
> Our team back-solved quite a number of puzzles this Hunt, and they 
> are, I'm pretty sure, reflected in our total count.  (But our 6 
> meta-puzzle and 6 super-meta-puzzles solutions (1 with a hint) are 
> not.)
> -- Eric