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For younger learners

  • Early Years Foundation Stage

Inspector Morse

Age 11 to 14
Challenge Level Yellow star
  • Problem
  • Getting Started
  • Student Solutions
  • Teachers' Resources

Copying and pasting the article into a word processor and then using the "replace" facility will quickly tell you how many of each letter there is.

The letters and their time values:
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
.-
-...
-.-.
-..
.
..-.
--.
....
..
.---
-.-
.-..
--
4
6
8
5
1
6
7
4
2
10
7
6
6
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
-.
---
.--.
--.-
.-.
...
-
..-
...-
.--
-..-
-.--
--..
4
9
8
10
5
3
3
5
6
7
8
10
8

Is there much variation in the order of frequency of use of letters you found in the article and what is implied by the choice of symbols and time values used by Morse? Is E the most frequent letter in the article and I the next?

Your coded message might be longer or shorter than when you use Morse but it is just one possible message. How would you compare the two systems more generally?


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The NRICH Project aims to enrich the mathematical experiences of all learners. To support this aim, members of the NRICH team work in a wide range of capacities, including providing professional development for teachers wishing to embed rich mathematical tasks into everyday classroom practice.

NRICH is part of the family of activities in the Millennium Mathematics Project.

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