Henry Ernest Dudeney/Puzzles and Curious Problems/29 - The Shopkeeper's Puzzle/Solution
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Puzzles and Curious Problems by Henry Ernest Dudeney: $29$
- The Shopkeeper's Puzzle
- A shopkeeper uses a code word where each letter stands for the digits from $0$ to $9$.
- What is the code used to encode this addition sum?
GAUNT + OILER ------ RGUOEI
Solution
REGULATION
Proof
As this is an addition sum with a $6$ digit sum, the first digit of the sum is $1$.
Hence $R = 1$.
Because $N + E = E$, either $N = 0$ or $N = 9$ and there was a carry from the right.
But the only way there can be a carry from the right is from $T + R = I$, where $R = 1$.
Hence $T$ would have to be $9$.
But that would make both $T = 9$ and $N = 9$, which cannot happen.
Hence $N = 0$.
We have that $G + O + 1 = G$, so $O = 9$.
Thus we have so far:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 -------------------- R O N
and it is apparent that the only anagram of GAUNT OILER with this pattern is REGULATION.
Hence we have:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 -------------------- R E G U L A T I O N
and the completed cryptarithm:
36407 + 98521 ------ 134928
$\blacksquare$
Sources
- 1932: Henry Ernest Dudeney: Puzzles and Curious Problems ... (previous) ... (next): Solutions: $29$. -- The Shopkeeper's Puzzle
- 1968: Henry Ernest Dudeney: 536 Puzzles & Curious Problems ... (previous) ... (next): Answers: $154$. The Shopkeeper's Puzzle