# Puzzle help **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** board-card-word-game\ **Created:** [April 26, 2022, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzle-help/963458 "2022-04-26T01:49:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2022, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzle-help/963458/1 "2022-04-26T01:49:46Z")
Trying to solve a puzzle in an escape room type ipad game. Need to figure out a 4 number combination to a safe. Found a scrap of paper with: ZZ = 55 ZX + AZ = 68 “no math. logic only” Found an engraving elsewhere with: ZZ , 40, AZ, X0 Thought X=3 and A=1 to make the combo 55-40-15-30 but that wasn’t it ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2022, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzle-help/963458/2 "2022-04-26T02:13:35Z")
But you used math. If it’s legit no math, then I don’t see how the + sign could mean addition. Can you see the lock? Do you know the highest number on the lock? The answer is I think 5 40 30 0. Try it and see if you get out. Try to figure out or If you want more of an explanation ask. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2022, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzle-help/963458/3 "2022-04-26T02:18:55Z")
Lock is a dial. 0-60. Looks like you can only really stop on multiples of 5. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2022, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzle-help/963458/4 "2022-04-26T02:25:42Z")
5 40 30 0 was a no go ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2022, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzle-help/963458/5 "2022-04-26T02:26:15Z")
Try 45 instead of 40. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2022, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzle-help/963458/6 "2022-04-26T02:34:04Z")
Assume Z = 5 so ZZ = 55 But then you would need math to get 5X + A5 = 68 meaning X = 3 and A = 1 OR it could also be X = 8 and A = 0 So if your first try didn’t work try 55, 40, 05, 80 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2022, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzle-help/963458/7 "2022-04-26T02:36:57Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > 5X + A5 = 68 meaning X = 3 and A = 1 OR it could also be X = 8 and A = 0 No, if X were 8 and A were 0, it’d be 63. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2022, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzle-help/963458/8 "2022-04-26T02:41:34Z")
Still not sure how they came up with this solution but it was: 55 15 30 0 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2022, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzle-help/963458/9 "2022-04-26T02:47:36Z")
It’s 55, then 55-40 for 15, then 15+15 for 30, then 30-30 for 0. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2022, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzle-help/963458/10 "2022-04-26T03:15:31Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > It’s 55, then 55-40 for 15, then 15+15 for 30, then 30-30 for 0.⁢ If so, what does that have to do with the clues given, beyond the first number? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2022, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzle-help/963458/11 "2022-04-26T03:21:47Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > If so, what does that have to do with the clues given, beyond the first number? Per the reasoning in the spoiler in the first post, the OP explained why he figured it was a 55 40 15 30 sequence; from there, just figure it’s 55, minus 40, plus 15, minus 30. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2022, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzle-help/963458/12 "2022-04-26T13:09:38Z")
The puzzle creator seems to have an odd idea of what “no math”means. Or maybe going to the left and right on a safe dose t count as math. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2022, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzle-help/963458/13 "2022-04-26T13:35:15Z")
Here is a safecracking puzzle by Smullyan; I always thought it was great: A combination consists of a string of letters. Certain combinations will open the lock, certain combinations will jam the lock, and others will have no effect. Given that Q: For any combination _x_, the combination Q_x_Q is “specially related” to _x_. L: If x is specially related to _y_, then L_x_ is specially related to Q_y_. V: If _x_ is specially related to _y_, then V_x_ is specially related to the reverse of _y_. E.g., since `QCFRQ` is specially related to `CFR`, then `VQCFRQ` is specially related to `RFC`. R: If _x_ is specially related to _y_, then R_x_ is specially related to _yy_. Sp: If _x_ is specially related to _y_, then if _x_ jams the lock, _y_ is neutral, and if _x_ is neutral, _y_ jams the lock. Find a combination (it is not unique) that opens the lock! ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2022, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzle-help/963458/14 "2022-04-26T14:25:15Z")
The sequence is 55-40-15-30. The dial goes 1-60. Assume the numbers go clockwise: Turn to 55 Then right 40 spaces to 15 Then left 15 spaces to 30 Then right 30 spaces to 0. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2022, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzle-help/963458/15 "2022-04-27T10:05:24Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > The puzzle creator seems to have an odd idea of what “no math”means. Or maybe going to the left and right on a safe dose t count as math. [Modular arithmetic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modular_arithmetic) is still math.