Introduction

(cont...)

Cryptography is considered as an I.Q. type of challenge or test as to see how one can decode a message and how they use their resources well. Below are two puzzles:

C.(1) - The codes below is based on a cipher invented by a Greek writer, Polybius, in the

second century BC. Can you work out the system and decipher the quotation below?

A	B	C	D	E
F	G	H	IJ	K
L	M	N	O	P
Q	R	S	T	U
V	W	X	Y	Z

44, 23, 15; 52, 34, 42, 31, 14, 43; 22, 42, 15, 11, 44; 32, 15, 33; 23, 11, 51, 15;

33, 34, 44; 13, 34, 32, 23, 34, 33, 31, 54; 12, 15, 15, 33; 22, 42, 15, 11, 44;

43, 13, 23, 34, 31, 11, 42, 43; 33, 34, 42; 24, 44, 43; 22, 42, 15, 11, 44;

43, 13, 23, 34, 31, 11, 42, 43; 22, 42, 15, 11, 44; 32, 15, 33;

34, 31, 24, 51, 15, 42; 52, 15, 33, 14, 15, 31, 31; 23, 34, 31, 32, 15, 43;

C.(2) - This simple code was used by Julius Caesar when writing secret messages to his

allies. Can you crack the system and decode the quotation?

YJJ ZYB NPCACBCLRQ ZCEYL YQ

HSQRGDGYZJC KCYQSPCQ

( BEAT THE IQ CHALLENGE by PHILIP J. C. & KEN A.R. )

Answers:

C.(1) : Each two digit represents a letter for example 44 represents T. It’s like placing the

coordinates of each letter in the box.

	1	2	3	4	5
1	A	B	C	D	E
2	F	G	H	IJ	K
3	L	M	N	O	P
4	Q	R	S	T	U
5	V	W	X	Y	Z

So the massage is encoded:

THE WORLD’S GREAT MEN HAVE NOT COMMONLY BEEN GREAT

SCHOLARS, NOR ITS GREAT SCHOLARS GREAT MEN.’

OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES.

C.(2) : ALL BAD PRECEDENTS BEGAN AS JUSTIFIABLE MEASURES.