You receive a signal flashed in two color channels. Both off, I’ll show as space, and for a lot of space, return. One on is 1, the other on is 2, and both on is 3. You receive:
Can I ask for a minor correction on the line that says: “11 3211 101 32 1111”—you’ve not defined what 0 means, so is it meant to be a space or a 2 instead? (probably the latter) Thanks.
ETA: I think the line above it may have a minor mistake too, “122212111211221” bhtug or gur bgure jnl nebhaq?
ETA2: I think a second problem with 33112221121 in the penultimate line—one of the ones should be missing I think. If I’m wrong I’ve probably messed up my interpretation
Added a few more lines. By including only the things I could do off the top of my head, I restricted myself to too-small numbers and gave you the wrong idea.
That can be simplified to the level of illumination of Io and Ganymede as seen from Triton, accounting for all eclipses (probably not literally, but there are natural phenomena which produce patterns at least as interesting; see pulsars).
Since it’s more likely that a natural phenomenon created this pattern of observations than that positional notation and time-ordering are shared by a given ETI, I would observe and try to understand the natural system which created this pattern.
You receive a signal flashed in two color channels. Both off, I’ll show as space, and for a lot of space, return. One on is 1, the other on is 2, and both on is 3. You receive:
21 31221 1
1 32 21 31221 21
21 32 21 31221 221
11 32 21 31221 2221
221 32 21 31221 22221
121 32 21 31221 222221
211 32 21 31221 2222221
111 32 21 31221 22222221
2221 32 21 31221 222222221
1111 32 21 31221 2222222222222221
111 32 11 32 221
2121121 32 121221 32 121211
1 31 1 32 21
121221 31 121211 32 2121121
2
2 3211 1
2 3211 21
2 3211 11
2 3211 221
2 3211 121
2 3211 211
2 3211 111
2 3211 122212111211221
2 3211 122112221212111
1 3211 1 32 1
11 3211 121 32 1111
11 3211 21 31 1 32 111
11 31 21 3211 1 32 121
2 32221 21 32 1
1 32221 21 32 21
21 32221 21 32 221
11 32221 21 32 2221
21 32221 11 32 1221
221 32221 21 32 22221
221 32221 11 32 1222121
21 32221 11 3211 21 32 21221
21 3211 11 32221 21 32 2222221
21 32221 111 3211 1211 31 1221 32
What do you reply?
Assuming you got that, there’s more...
312221 12221121 111 3312221121 32 111
111 32 3312221121
312221 12221121 121 3312221121 32 121
111 32 3312221121 32 21
322221 12221121 3332 3312221121 32 3312221121 3331
322221 12221121 3332 2 3211 3312221121 3331
322221 12221121 212211 3332 3332 3312221121 31 33212211 3331 32 3332 33212211 31 3312221121 3331 3331
322221 12121 3332 21 32221 3312121 32 3332 21 32221 3332 3312121 32 1 3331 3331
Shouldn’t these lines
111 32 11 32 221
2121121 32 121221 32 121211
be
111 32 11 31 221
2121121 32 121221 31 121211
? Or do I misunderstand? [Edit: I misunderstood :) — never mind.]
Also, the last line of the first part seems ambiguous, since gur beqre bs bcrengvbaf unf abg orra rfgnoyvfurq nf sne nf v pna frr.
11 3211 21 31 1 32 111
11 31 21 3211 1 32 121
21 32221 11 3211 21 32 21221
21 3211 11 32221 21 32 2222221
Do you mean
?
21 32221 11 3211 21 32 21221
I think that you, like I, just messed up the arithmetic there.
Can I ask for a minor correction on the line that says: “11 3211 101 32 1111”—you’ve not defined what 0 means, so is it meant to be a space or a 2 instead? (probably the latter) Thanks.
ETA: I think the line above it may have a minor mistake too, “122212111211221” bhtug or gur bgure jnl nebhaq?
ETA2: I think a second problem with 33112221121 in the penultimate line—one of the ones should be missing I think. If I’m wrong I’ve probably messed up my interpretation
Your first and third corrections are right (and doh! Slippy fingers!)
The second stands. I’ve added another line there.
Vs V’z evtug naq gung frpgvba vf nobhg cevzrf, gurfr ahzoref pna bayl or qrpvcurerq nf cevzrf vs gur beqrevat jnf ovt-raqvna (zbfg fvtavsvpnag qvtvg svefg), nf vg’f va uhzna hfntr bs Nenovp ahzrenyf—ohg va gur erfg bs gur pbagrag lbh tvir, nyy gur bgure ahzoref zhfg or qrpvcurerq va yvggyr-raqvna beqre (yrnfg fvtavsvpnag qvtvg svefg)...
Thanks for the puzzle btw, it’s great fun. I’ll continue working on it tomorrow (it’s getting late where I live). :-)
Added a few more lines. By including only the things I could do off the top of my head, I restricted myself to too-small numbers and gave you the wrong idea.
Please don’t give answer just yet, I’ve solved parts of it and I think I’m close to solving rest of it as well.
That can be simplified to the level of illumination of Io and Ganymede as seen from Triton, accounting for all eclipses (probably not literally, but there are natural phenomena which produce patterns at least as interesting; see pulsars).
Since it’s more likely that a natural phenomenon created this pattern of observations than that positional notation and time-ordering are shared by a given ETI, I would observe and try to understand the natural system which created this pattern.
Doubtful.