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Hard Grid Puzzle


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Can you provide any context for this puzzle? Is it mathematical or an alphabet puzzle of some kind?

I'm sure I'm not the only one who doesn't know where to start...

It's a mathematical puzzle of some kind and i don't know where to start either. All i know is....You need to fill in the ? marks and the letters A,B,C,D,E & F with numbers 1 to 9. I have not figured out what the top row of letters and colors mean in relation to the puzzle. Once the values to A,B,C,D,E & F are figured out, i will be able to determine the location of a 6 month old, unfound geocache.

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Like RESHAW, I'm looking for more context--you say that once the values to A-F are found, you'll be able to determine the location...Does that mean

(a) ABCDEF are pieces of location information, or

(b) you have additional clues to the location of the geocache, and ABCDEF are merely just the next hurdle you're supposed to jump through?

(I'm not trying to steal your geocache, I'm just trying to squeeze any more context out of this amazingly empty-looking puzzle.)

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I don't believe all cells will be filled with the numbers 1-9.

You have a 9x20 grid. My theory: 9x18 are filled with 1-9 while the remaining 9x2 grid can be solved based on the grid above it. The solution to the lower grid will provide your location based on A° B' C" latitude by D° E' F" longitude.

I've had a few different theories about filling in the cells:

1. Path choice, where the numbers increase sequentially. Biggest problem is a lack of information to complete the puzzle and likely multiple solutions. It also doesn't provide an answer to the bottom grid, if they are to be divided. It also doesn't take into account the letters or colours in the first row--which I doubt are there solely to make the puzzle look pretty.

2. Mystery operation. The numbers going down the columns are formed by some operation. Problems: The operation may be unique to each column, each row, both, neither, et al. It may be many different operations. I don't see a pattern specific enough for one solution. The colours and/or Letters across the top may indicate what kind of operation is used. But no idea what R or B would be.

3. Sequence based on numbers present. While this is the most likely of my theories, there still isn't a lot behind it. A majority of its support comes from the first five cells filled. Colours and letters? No idea.

4. Individual row sequence based on the letter of the column using some kind of ratio from one letter to another. Way out there. No real substance yet, just noticed the A -> B / 4 -> 7 and B -> A / 7 -> 4. *Shrug*

EDIT: Agreeing with Ed for the moment, but I do think that A-F represent long/lat coordinates...

Edited by Molly Mae
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That's a lot of interesting thoughts, Molly Mae. The notion that A through F could be numbers (not restricted to single digits) for long/lat (or lat/long, sigh) is interesting. Certainly, the OP states a restriction to single digits, but the posted document does not. If they are single digits, the geocache is in a pretty cold place...But your suggestion proposes how a mere 6 numbers could suffice as a geocache locator.

Yes, the denominator of 7 is what comes to mind looking at those first row numbers. I remember when I learned about the magic of the repeating digits of 1/7 = .142857... where multiplying simply rotates the string (e.g. 3/7=428517... and 4/7=571428...). Of course, they aren't in order. (as you said, "Shrug")

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Like RESHAW, I'm looking for more context--you say that once the values to A-F are found, you'll be able to determine the location...Does that mean

(a) ABCDEF are pieces of location information, or

(b) you have additional clues to the location of the geocache, and ABCDEF are merely just the next hurdle you're supposed to jump through?

(I'm not trying to steal your geocache, I'm just trying to squeeze any more context out of this amazingly empty-looking puzzle.)

The cache title is called....

cachepuzzlename.jpg

ABCDEF provide the location to the cache.

N45 26.ABC W75 44.DEF

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I do think that A-F represent long/lat coordinates...

You have some interesting thoughts but nothing really seems to fit.

You are correct ABCDEF represent the last 3 digits of the North and West coordinates....see above post. Personally I'm stumped and no one has found this cache since it was published 6 months ago. The cache owner says a few have solved it, but no one has logged it online yet so i'm not sure if it's been found yet.

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The cache title is called....

cachepuzzlename.jpg

ABCDEF provide the location to the cache.

N45 26.ABC W75 44.DEF

Is that image cut off, or is it "Hulahup..."? I wonder if that's a typo.

Perhaps it's a clue indicating that a sequence is made by crossing row one, then going down all the way to the D, then back to the left (in a spiral headed toward the centre...or perhaps start at the centre and move outward? Would make more sense, otherwise you wouldn't need to solve the whole puzzle.).

So finding the centre (two ?'s right below 2 4's in the 5th column) leads us to exactly what I was expecting....

....

Another dead end.

My big question: Are we even sure the number 0 can't be used? Because I've been treating this as a base9... I'll look at base10.

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http://www.barbapapa.fr

The letters at the top of the columns can be rearranged to be BARBAPAPA (see above link)...and the colors of the characters on that page match the colors at the top of the grid...that seems WAY to coincidental to me...Plus the colors of the letters match up with the character's colors in the name BARAPAPA. Finally, the site above is the "official site" (remember the clue was sometimes it's best to use official resources)...So that site HAS to contain the answer....

Edited by Pickett
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Here is the updated chart after rearranging the letters at the top to match the page...don't know if this will help or not...

post-13141-0-80284600-1317149816.png

That's about all I can probably help out today, as I have to get back to work :c\

But hopefully that will be enough for someone to solve this one! :c)

Edited by Pickett
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My world has been torn asunder. Not because you got that far (but awesome find, man), but because these Bar creatures are freaking me out.

I'll see what I can find on the site.

EDIT: I'm not really finding anything useful on the site, so perhaps it was only used to get the numbers in order. I'll take a look at Pickett's upload.

Edited by Molly Mae
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http://www.barbapapa.fr

The letters at the top of the columns can be rearranged to be BARBAPAPA (see above link)...and the colors of the characters on that page match the colors at the top of the grid...that seems WAY to coincidental to me...Plus the colors of the letters match up with the character's colors in the name BARAPAPA. Finally, the site above is the "official site" (remember the clue was sometimes it's best to use official resources)...So that site HAS to contain the answer....

That is way too coincidental Pickett. That's got to be the "official" resource he is talking about.

Edited by ragh
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It might be helpful to note that the if the letters along the top represent words, they are most likely are French words, not English, since the original post was written in French...just thought I'd throw that out there...

How did you find that the OP was in French?

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Here is the updated chart after rearranging the letters at the top to match the page...don't know if this will help or not...

post-13141-0-80284600-1317149816.png

That's about all I can probably help out today, as I have to get back to work :c\

But hopefully that will be enough for someone to solve this one! :c)

That was a great find Pickett. You and Molly Mae have been a great help. Thanks a bunch

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I'm thinking that it might be a sodoku type puzzle, 9 columns would seem to indicate base 9 logic, however still no wiser on what the column headers mean. Also not sure what the correlation would be going vertically down the columsn, perhaps they sum to a total alluded to by the character on the top row? I don't think it can be A=1, b= 2 because of the number of rows. anyone any ideas?

Are there any french speakers reading this? the original puzzle is written in French and it may have some immediate significance to a French speaker perhaps.

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A) I speak French fluently and I've looked at the Barbapapa site extensively. All I can see is that the catchphrase for the Barbapapa characters in French is 'Hup, Hup, Hup, Barbatruc'. The title of the OP is Hulahup - which probably was the original clue to the Barbapapa link.

B) So I don't think that there is any other inference to this site - unless the 'hula' part of hulahup means something.......... I'm going to look through the geocache site today and see if I can find some matrix reference.

C) How about the hint to rely on official resources? Any ideas?

D) The translation of the OP is perfect IMO; i haven't been able to gain any more insight from the French edition.

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A) I speak French fluently and I've looked at the Barbapapa site extensively. All I can see is that the catchphrase for the Barbapapa characters in French is 'Hup, Hup, Hup, Barbatruc'. The title of the OP is Hulahup - which probably was the original clue to the Barbapapa link.

B) So I don't think that there is any other inference to this site - unless the 'hula' part of hulahup means something.......... I'm going to look through the geocache site today and see if I can find some matrix reference.

C) How about the hint to rely on official resources? Any ideas?

D) The translation of the OP is perfect IMO; i haven't been able to gain any more insight from the French edition.

A) Yeah, that may have been a better way to find out the Barbapapa link than I did...but either way, I think it definitely is just a reference to these characters

B) I couldn't find anything else on the site either (now, granted, I looked at it in French and Google's translated versions, and I am not completely fluent in French, so I could have missed something)

C) I think the "official resources" is a reference to use the OFFICIAL site for Barbapapa...which is what lead me to rearrange the grid in the way that I did.

D) Agreed...

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