Can you solve the passcode riddle? - Ganesh Pai

譯者: Cynthia Zhang 審譯者: Max Chern

In this dystopian world, your resistance group is humanity's last hope.

在這個反烏托邦世界中， 你的反抗團隊是人類的最後希望

Unfortunately, you've all been captured by the tyrannical rulers

不幸的是， 你們被暴政統治者悉數抓獲

and brought to the ancient colosseum for their deadly entertainment.

被帶到古代鬥獸場， 將與野獸死亡搏鬥以娛樂他們

Before you're thrown into the dungeon,

被關進地牢之前，

you see many numbered hallways leading outside.

你看到許多通往外界 且帶序列號的通道

But each exit is blocked by an electric barrier

但每個出口都被配備有 密碼鍵盤的電柵擋住

with a combination keypad.

只有輸入正確但密碼才可通過

You learn that one of you will be allowed to try to escape by passing a challenge

你被告知其中一人將被允許 試著通過一項挑戰而逃脫

while everyone else will be fed to the mutant salamanders the next morning.

其他人則會於次日 成爲變種火蜥蜴的早餐

With her perfect logical reasoning, Zara is the obvious choice.

Zara 邏輯推理很強，很明顯是最佳人選

You hand her a concealed audio transmitter so that the rest of you can listen along.

你遞給她一只隱藏音頻發射器， 所以你們能監聽全程

As Zara is led away,

Zara 被帶離牢房時

you hear her footsteps echo through one of the hallways,

你們聽見她的腳步聲 在其中一個通道中迴盪

then stop.

然後停了下來

A voice announces that she must enter a code

一個提示音響起，她必須輸入一個密碼

consisting of three positive whole numbers in ascending order,

密碼是三個由小到大的正整數組成

so the second number is greater than or equal to the first,

也就是說， 第二個數字大於或等於第一個數字

and the third is greater than or equal to the second.

第三個數字大於或等於第二個數字

She may ask for up to three clues,

她最多可以問三個提示

but if she makes a wrong guess,

但如果她猜錯密碼

or says anything else,

或說了無關緊要的話

she'll be thrown back into the dungeon.

她將被重新關進地牢

For the first clue, the voice says the product of the three numbers is 36.

第一個提示：三個數字相乘得36

When Zara asks for the second clue,

Zara 問了第二個提示

it tells her the sum of the numbers

它是：數字的總和

is the same as the number of the hallway she entered.

是 Zara 走進的通道編號

There's a long silence.

接著是一陣沉寂

You're sure Zara remembers the hallway number,

你知道 Zara 一定記得通道的號碼

but there's no way for you to know it,

但你們無從得知

and she can't say it outloud.

她也無法大聲告知你們

If Zara could enter the passcode at this point, she would,

如果 Zara 已經推理成功， 她將會輸入密碼

but instead, she asks for the third clue,

但是，她詢問了第三個提示

and the voice announces that the largest number appears only once

第三個提示：最大的數字

in the combination.

僅出現一次

Moments later, the buzz of the electric barrier stops for a few seconds,

過了一會兒，電柵欄的聲音消失了幾秒

and you realize that Zara has escaped.

你們意識到Zara已經成功逃脫了

Unfortunately, her transmitter is no longer in range,

不幸的是， 她的音頻發射器超出接受範圍

so that's all the information you get.

所以這是你們僅有的線索

Can you find the solution?

你們能找到最終答案嗎？

Pause on the next screen to work out the solution.

按下暫停鍵，好好想一想

3

3

2

2

1

1

You're worried about the fact that you don't know Zara's hallway number,

你擔心你不知道Zara走的通道編號

but you decide to start from the beginning anyways.

不過，你還是打算重頭開始

From the first clue, you work out all of the eight possible combinations

根據第一個提示， 你找出 8 個可能的組合

that come out to a product of 36.

都符合數字相乘等於36

One of these must be right, but which one?

其中一個是正確答案，是哪個呢？

Now comes the hard part.

現在是最難的部份

Even though you don't know which number you're looking for,

即使你不知道哪個是正確的

you decide to work out the sum of each combination's three numbers.

你仍然決定把每個組合的總和算出來

That's when it hits you.

這個決定讓你靈光乍現

All but two of the sums are unique,

除了兩組外，其它組的總和都只出現一次

and if the hallway number had matched any of these,

如果通道號碼與其中任何一個數字一致

Zara would have known the correct combination right then and there

那麼當時Zara應該能輕而易舉地得出答案

without asking for the third clue.

並不需要第三個提示

Since she did ask for the clue,

然而，她詢問了第三個提示

the hallway number must have matched the only sum

因此，通道號碼肯定是 那個總和出現不止一次的數字：

that appears more than once in the list:

thirteen.

13

But which of the two combinations that add up to thirteen is correct:

但總和為 13 的兩組中，哪個是正確的：

1,6,6,

1，6，6

or 2,2,9?

還是2，2，9？

That's where the third clue comes in.

這時，你需要第三條提示來確定答案

Since it tells us that the largest number must be unique,

最大的數字僅出現一次

2,2,9 must be the code.

因此答案是 2，2，9

When night falls, you and the others escape through hallway thirteen

夜晚降臨， 你與其他同伴沿著通道 13 順利逃脫

and rejoin Zara outside.

在外與 Zara 重逢

You've freed yourselves through math and logic.

利用數學和邏輯，你們重獲自由

Now it's time to free the rest of the world.

現在是解放全世界的時刻了

翻譯：Cynthia Zhang