Can you solve the alien pyramid riddle? - Henri Picciotto

譯者: 柏陞 郭 審譯者: Helen Chang

Today is the one year anniversary of the best-worst day of your life.

今天是你生命中碰過 最糟也是最棒的一週年。

The best part was discovering a subterranean city on Mars:

最棒的部分是：過去你在火星上 發現一座地下城市，

the first evidence of intelligent alien life ever found.

更是首次發現外星智慧生命的證據。

The worst part?

那最糟糕的部分呢？

No one got to explore it,

沒人要去探索它，

because that was when you lost contact with Earth.

因為一年前你們和地球失去聯繫。

You and the other 99 scientists have spent the rest of the year

你和其他 99 位科學家 已經花了一整年

engineering your survival,

想盡辦法存活，

but you’re almost out of water and solutions.

但這時你們幾乎用盡了飲水 和生存手段。

Everyone else is at the ice cap,

其他人決定待在冰冠區探索，

but you’ve decided to investigate the buried city

但你決定前往深藏地下的都市

to see if there are clues to how their civilization survived on a desert planet.

調查文明過去是如何在 這顆荒漠星球上生存的線索。

The city is mostly ruins except for three intact pyramids—

除了三座金字塔之外， 這座城市幾乎全毀。

two open and one sealed.

其中兩座大門敞開， 另一座則大門深鎖。

In the first you find a series of symbols and pictograms,

你在第一座塔裡發現一系列的 圖案和象形符號，

revealing a fortuitously base 10 numbering system.

而且湊巧採用 10 進位制。

The second pyramid’s facade is covered in these symbols.

接著你發現第二座塔的正面 刻滿這些符號。

Inside you discover a device,

進去以後你找到一台儀器，

as well as mosaic representations of how to use it.

還有幾幅說明使用方法的鑲嵌畫。

From those you glean the following:

你從這些圖像中推敲出一些資訊：

the device is the key to opening the sealed pyramid

用這個儀器輸入中心方格裡的數字，

by inputting the number on the center block.

便能夠打開封閉金字塔；

But if you put in the wrong number, something terrible and deadly will happen.

但如果你輸入錯誤的數字， 就可能招致某種糟糕且致命的結果。

The doors to all pyramids work on the same principle.

此規則適用於所有金字塔的門。

What number should you input to open the door to the sealed pyramid?

那麼該輸入哪個數字 以開啟封閉的金字塔呢？

Pause here to figure it out yourself. Answer in 3

[你可以在此暫停思索答案] [距離公布答案剩餘三秒]

Answer in 2

[距離公布答案剩餘兩秒]

Answer in 1

[距離公布答案剩餘一秒]

The pattern revealed by the second pyramid is that every number

從第二座塔的圖案可以歸納出：

每一格數字都是下層相接兩格的總和。

is the sum of the two numbers directly beneath it.

If that applies to the sealed pyramid, 40 clearly belongs to the left of 30.

如果此規律也適用於封閉的金字塔， 那麼在 30 左邊的肯定是 40 了。

The center number is the sum of 7 and an unknown, call it x.

中心的數字是七和未知數x的總和。

The value of x can be determined by trial and error,

x的值能透過嘗試錯誤來找出，

but it’s quicker to use algebraic reasoning.

但應用代數推理還是更快一些。

The number to the left of the center number is 5+x.

假設位於中心左側格子數字是 5+x，

Therefore, this block, 40, is equal to 5+x plus 7+x.

那麼 40 這一格就等同於 5+x加上7+x了。

Solving for x, x must be 14, making the central block 21.

再進一步推算後得出x為 14 ， 而中心的數字為 21。

You enter 21 on the remote, and the door opens!

你用儀器輸入 21 打開了門，

Inside you find yet another riddle.

在裡頭又發現另一個謎。

The walls show the history of this civilization.

牆上記述著了這個文明的歷史。

When they lived here, the planet was covered with oceans.

當他們還定居在這的時候， 這顆星球表面覆蓋著大片海洋。

But at a certain point, they up and left Mars.

但在某個時間點， 他們搭乘飛行器離開了火星。

In order to reserve the planet for themselves

為了供日後他們回訪 這顆星球時使用，

while making it inhospitable to others,

還有讓這顆星球不適合外來者居住，

they moved all the water underground,

他們把所有的水輸往地下。

using a gigantic engineering marvel activated by a single lever.

這項工程僅憑一根搖桿操縱的 巨大機械水槽。

The lever is hidden in the Great Pyramid.

這根搖桿就藏在大金字塔的某處。

Pulling the lever again would reverse the process,

只要再度啟動搖桿便能逆轉整個過程，

and bring the water back to the surface.

讓水源再次回歸地表。

But where is this Great Pyramid?

但是這大金字塔又在哪呢？

The mosaics indicate it should be right here, but it’s clearly not.

鑲嵌畫明確地指出它應該在這， 可事實並非如此。

Without it, you have no choice but to climb back out of the city to the surface.

眼看遍尋不著，你只能離開城市、 攀上回到地表的階梯。

And that’s when you see it.

這時你發現了真相：

The city is the final pyramid, or at least one face of it.

這座城市就是最後的金字塔， 至少表面看上去如此。

A great pyramid, indeed!

這的確是座大字塔！

The city’s architects must have designed each district

城市的建築師肯定把每塊街區

to show a number when viewed from above.

設計成從上方就能看出數字。

But only these three survived the ravages of time.

可是只有這三塊區域熬過 時間的摧殘。

The key once again must be whatever number was in the center plaza.

謎底一定又是中心廣場裡的數字。

You rush there, but what number should you input into the remote?

你急忙地趕到那裡， 可是你該用儀器輸入什麼數字呢？

Pause here to figure it out yourself. Answer in 3

[你可以在此暫停思索答案] [距離公布答案剩餘三秒]

Answer in 2

[距離公布答案剩餘兩秒]

Answer in 1

[距離公布答案剩餘一秒]

You could write out the algebra again, but here’s a more visual approach.

你可以再次寫出代數解題， 不過這裡有個更清晰的作法。

Sketch a pyramid, and enter the known numbers.

先把金字塔畫好， 並填入已知的數字。

Between the 9 and the 10,

在 9 和 10 之間的方格，

you can put colored dots to represent the two unknowns at the bottom.

你可以放上兩個不同顏色的點 代表底層未知的數字。

Working your way up the pyramid and drawing the sums as you go

當你逐層填入每格的總和時，

will reveal that 100 = 19 + 3 green dots

你會得出 100 等於 19 加上三個綠點

+ 3 orange dots.

再加上三個橘點。

So 3(green + orange)=81,

又得證：綠點加橘點 然後乘以 3 等於 81。

and green + orange, which is the middle number,

那麼橘點與綠點的和， 也就是中間的數字，一定是 27。

must be 27.

You don’t actually have to figure out what green and orange are—

你沒必要去算出橘點 和綠點分別是多少。

in fact, they have a number of possibilities.

事實上，他們有許多可能性。

When you enter 27, a hidden mechanism opens in the middle of the plaza,

在你輸入 27 後， 中央廣場上的一處隱藏機關啟動，

revealing a staircase.

揭露了樓梯所在。

You descend,

你進門向下走，

and finally find yourself in a room with a giant lever in the middle.

最後抵達了中央有根巨大搖桿的房間。

Only one question remains: do you pull it?

現在就剩最後一個問題： 你會拉下它嗎？