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Transposition Cipher

Age 11 to 16
Challenge Level Yellow star
  • Problem
  • Getting Started
  • Student Solutions
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Remember you'll be able to tell quite quickly whether the sequence of letters you get from reading down the columns is English or not, so you don't need to decrypt the whole message if you don't think you've found the right sized grid.

 

Don't forget you can use the toolkit to help you decrypt this message.

 

 

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The Best Card Trick?

Time for a little mathemagic! Choose any five cards from a pack and show four of them to your partner. How can they work out the fifth?

Substitution Cipher

Find the frequency distribution for ordinary English, and use it to help you crack the code.

Secret Transmissions

How can Agent X transmit data on a faulty line and be sure that her message will get through?

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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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