help with letters-to-numbers puzzle: ABCD × 4 = DCBA
- Thread starter korean
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- Feb 4, 2004
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Just use intelligent guess-n-check. My nine-year-old started off like this:
. . . . .Since 4 times the first number gives a number that's the
. . . . .same size, there can't be any "1" in the "4A" part. You
. . . . .already know A can't be 0, 'cause that wouldn't make any
. . . . .sense. So A can be 1 or 2, but it can't be 3 or bigger,
. . . . .'cause that's too much. Then look at the other A. It's from
. . . . .the 4D, and there's nothing that D can be that makes 4D
. . . . .be something with a 1 in it. So A has to be 2. Then D
. . . . .might be 3, so 4D = 12, or D might be 8, so 4D = 32.
. . . . .We already figured out that A is 2, so 4A (on top) is 8. So
. . . . .the D on the bottom can't be 3. Then D is 8. By the way,
. . . . .that also means that there isn't any "1" from the 4B on top
. . . . .that gets put above the A on top, so 4B is small, too.
And continue on in like manner.
Eliz.
. . . . .Since 4 times the first number gives a number that's the
. . . . .same size, there can't be any "1" in the "4A" part. You
. . . . .already know A can't be 0, 'cause that wouldn't make any
. . . . .sense. So A can be 1 or 2, but it can't be 3 or bigger,
. . . . .'cause that's too much. Then look at the other A. It's from
. . . . .the 4D, and there's nothing that D can be that makes 4D
. . . . .be something with a 1 in it. So A has to be 2. Then D
. . . . .might be 3, so 4D = 12, or D might be 8, so 4D = 32.
. . . . .We already figured out that A is 2, so 4A (on top) is 8. So
. . . . .the D on the bottom can't be 3. Then D is 8. By the way,
. . . . .that also means that there isn't any "1" from the 4B on top
. . . . .that gets put above the A on top, so 4B is small, too.
And continue on in like manner.
Eliz.