Questions tagged [computer-puzzle]
A tag for puzzles dependent upon some degree of computer literacy - for instance, requiring basic familiarity with operating system usage, encryption or programming.
389
questions
2
votes
2answers
125 views
How can I create a programmatic solution to a formation of numbers problem?
There is a common formation-of-numbers puzzle in which the solver is supposed to take predetermined collection of numbers, permitted operators, and a desired result; then perform mathematical ...
1
vote
0answers
93 views
I need help deciphering what looks like a binary message
I was watching a YouTube video and it’s filled with secret messages and codes. The last two codes were in binary and inserting them into a translator provided correct answers. However, that's not ...
4
votes
1answer
640 views
Guess the algorithm
Here you are seeing part of a pattern I created with my computer.
Can you either reproduce it or describe the algorithm I used?
4
votes
1answer
363 views
This rebus is gold (and loud)
What television programme does this rebus stand for? Why is the rebus gold* and loud?
...
20
votes
1answer
2k views
Pythonic Purity Puzzle
You are looking for a ten-letter word.
Perfection is displayed not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.
...
6
votes
1answer
748 views
What's the last number in my wordy number sequence?
I have a wordy number sequence, partially shown below:
$ {1, 45.2548, 1262.6650, 32768, 390625, 10077696, 282475249, 3037000499.976, 31381059609, ... }$
Can you find the last number in the sequence?
...
10
votes
2answers
2k views
No Time to Die, Period
Inside MI6's server farm in the middle of the night, the operator's eyes skittered frantically over an intercepted message:
The development of our new APG code has been coming along nicely; I've ...
5
votes
2answers
430 views
My special animal
The answer to this puzzle is an image not hosted on Imgur. The image host and the ID of the image on that host should become clear when solving the puzzle.
(SVG source of the above)
Exact coordinates ...
3
votes
0answers
281 views
Here's the song, now tell me the title!
You ever have it happen where you know how a song goes, but you forget its title? I've heard you guys are good at figuring stuff out for free, so I'll just drop some notes here
and let you guys do ...
6
votes
1answer
658 views
The teacher's favorite animal
A student asked our teacher about her favorite type of dog during a distance learning meeting. She uploaded the image shown below, said it's our homework to figure that out, and left the call.
What's ...
1
vote
1answer
168 views
IT Network/Cryptography Puzzle [closed]
I need tips on how to solve a “real world” IT related puzzle. I won’t get into the context as it’s not relevant, but I need a push in the right direction. This problem/puzzle is not written out in ...
4
votes
3answers
251 views
Create a folder using only the mouse [closed]
You are a programmer, you are on your way home from your boring work when suddenly a psychopath hits you on the head, kidnaps you and brings you to their secret den.
You wake up in a dark room with ...
5
votes
1answer
246 views
A brain[expletive] sudoku
This is a Sudoku that is also a Brainfuck program.
The standard rules of Sudoku apply. The same symbol can not appear twice in the same row, column, or 3x3 box.
The grid should also form a functioning ...
1
vote
3answers
183 views
Test of Pentominoes
These are pentominoes, with letter codes:
Create 4 yes/no questions which uniquely classify each pentomino.
Examples of such questions are:
Does it have rotational symmetry?
Does it have reflection ...
5
votes
1answer
249 views
Looking for Navigators for the Famous Vega Classic
Do you have what it takes to compete in the famous Vega Classic?
Looking for skilled navigators. Apply below.
You have a craft that is capable of 10m/s$^2$ acceleration in any direction, and we're ...
7
votes
3answers
2k views
When should this question be answered?
If you hover your mouse over the time marked in the right-bottom corner of this post, then you will see a string showing the exact time that I post this question, which reads ...
3
votes
1answer
200 views
The Burnt Textbook
You and your team have successfully intercepted a message from the enemy, which could win you the war! But the message is encrypted with a difficult cipher, and your textbook's instructions for ...
14
votes
3answers
438 views
Two integer sided equilateral triangles with integer distances
In this figure with two non-congruent equilateral triangles and three-fold rotational symmetry the distance between any two of the 6 vertices is an integer. Can you give a solution?
I know only one ...
9
votes
1answer
190 views
Scrabblescrapers
An entry in Fortnightly Topic Challenge #48: Unusual tag mix
In this puzzle, you are given a 5x5 grid that you need to populate with a word square, so that the rows and columns form words (as defined ...
6
votes
1answer
253 views
6
votes
1answer
490 views
Stop the robot by changing value of variable Z
You're a computer security expert (i.e a hacker who doesn't break law). Your neighbour is infamous professor MacGoofy himself. He specializes in designing programming languages and programming ...
11
votes
4answers
436 views
Not so boring numbers
This is inspired by this and this and more similar ones.
Let us consider formation of a given positive integer N by the following rules
You may use only one digit, which one is your choice and you ...
-3
votes
3answers
635 views
mmm mmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmm mmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ...
12
votes
2answers
420 views
A fraction puzzle
This is a puzzle with both the computer-puzzle tag and the no-computers tag.
We have the following list of five fractions:
$$11/5, 30/77, 1/11, 21/2, 5/7.$$
Starting with an integer $x$, we perform ...
-1
votes
1answer
241 views
6
votes
1answer
214 views
7-QWERTY-distance words
My previous puzzle The QWERTY-shortest word was solved nearly instantly by the effective puzzling community. I also believe it is because the main parameter of the puzzle 4.7 was not perferectly set. ...
9
votes
2answers
389 views
Maximize my flags
You are given the next list of 48 flags.
For each pair of flags that are side by side, you score 1 point per color they share as a frontier. For instance France and Finland score 1 point thanks to ...
7
votes
2answers
373 views
The QWERTY-shortest word
For this puzzle, I define the distance between two letters as the shortest way on a QWERTY keyboard to go from a letter to another with a path.
Examples:
Q and W are seperated by a distance of 1.
2 ...
-1
votes
3answers
532 views
Ted's answer had Thomas shocked! "He... he's alive..." he realized
There's this built-in python module, we'll call it mystery.
Now, mystery has this function, we'll call it ted.
Also, mystery has another function, we'll call it jan.
Finally, lets bring Thomas into ...
2
votes
1answer
151 views
Messed up function needs uncovering!
You spent 5 hours to make a simple function that takes in a number, and it will print out a grid with the given number as each of its dimensions. Each square of the grid will have a single circle in ...
3
votes
2answers
216 views
Magic rotated checkerboard function made in python!
Here's a puzzle for all you python programmers out there:
I defined a function that goes like this:
...
12
votes
2answers
453 views
The art of computer programming
EDIT: I know we are not supposed to edit in new requirements after first posting but as far as I understand it this requirement is implicit in all questions here:
Explain your answer! At least a ...
2
votes
2answers
280 views
Find how a is defined with each underscore representing a character
Here is a puzzle for python programmers (python3+):
Find how a is defined (for example, a = 2 + True), with each underscore ...
7
votes
1answer
258 views
Slim at any size?
Recall from ŧhis question that we call a positive integer slimdownable or slim for short if it is part of a sequence of integers where each is followed by itself divided by its length, i.e. its number ...
13
votes
1answer
475 views
Is $~\let\r\raise\text{3rd.3}\r.6ex{\small3}\r1.1ex{\scriptsize3}\!\:\r1.6ex{\tiny3}\!\;\r2.2ex.\!\r2.5ex.\!\r2.8ex.\!\!\!\!\!\!(~)~$ too much to ask?
You will not be asked to devise a function
to find the third-least of
$ 3 \raise .6ex {\small 3}
\raise 1.1ex { \scriptsize 3}\!\:
\raise 1.6ex { \tiny 3} \!\;
...
1
vote
1answer
136 views
Break into Goldbach's safe
You need to unlock a safe by typing in the correct password. All you have is the following note:
...
-1
votes
1answer
427 views
JavaScript Puzzle about internationally-known fairy-tale
Hello world!
Learning OOP I came up on this Puzzle.
We can call this JPuzzle
Kinda simple, but no-one gave the right answer yet.
Here is the JPuzzle:
_=(..._)=>_...
18
votes
4answers
3k views
I don't want the smallest one, I want the second-smallest one
Inspired by my struggles with a certain open-source online learning platform's grading system:
You are working in a computer language with a limited set of built-in functions. You have a set of $m$ ...
2
votes
1answer
162 views
Shut down the laptop!
Here's a computer based riddle for all the linux geeks out there:
You just installed Ubuntu 20.04 on your shiny new laptop! The system boots you into your user and shows you the desktop. However, to ...
5
votes
1answer
123 views
Fill in the missing number in this unique sequence puzzle
My friend Ed woke up this morning to find his website defaced. Upon the now altered web page, he found this number sequence:
$237,\ 3566,\ 57069,\ \color{green}{???},\ 14600926,\ 233811181$
One of the ...
-6
votes
1answer
172 views
Need help with a online puzzle / riddle [closed]
I found a puzzle on the deep web (http://matrix4ozv2gicar.onion), and I am stuck on access level 2, I am aware someone else posted the same question on the same part as me about a year ago, except it ...
1
vote
0answers
113 views
Searching online catalogs is a pain. Can you tell me if it's worth my trouble?
Searching online catalogs is a pain. Can you tell me if it's worth my trouble?
As an example, I searched the following online catalog of a well-known country-wide British outlet for the keyword "...
asked Jul 23 '20 at 23:12
chasly - supports Monica
7,5281 gold badge20 silver badges63 bronze badges
17
votes
2answers
378 views
What to make of $\!\:\tt puzzle.\!txt$?
Puzzling Stack Exchange:
Don’t even ask where I found
the old printout, below, of an uncommented computer program.
As I am a leading-edge software solutionaut
hone-tuned for elegantly annotated ...
5
votes
1answer
132 views
Competitive puzzles
Do you know any sort of puzzles that can work in the context of a short competition? In other words, puzzles that have these features:
The premise should be fairly simple to follow (but the solution ...
2
votes
1answer
208 views
Based on 9-trains puzzle
Based on this problem, we have got some algorithms that can sort the 9 train cars in a given specific arrangement. But say if the 9 train cars are given in any-arrangement?
Say
ABC
ABC
ABC
...
4
votes
1answer
230 views
Find the equation of this surface - The Snowman
Here is a surface that resembles a snowman:
Its equation has the form $f(x,y,z)=0$: if a point $(x,y,z)$ satisfies that equations it is shaded, otherwise it is "left blank". Your goal is to find $f$.
...
4
votes
1answer
302 views
How to test a sudoku solver?
I have created a standard sudoku solver using my own algorithm. It relies on a continuous scanning with occasional tuple/pair searching. I am looking forward to test if this works properly. I have ...
15
votes
4answers
2k views
Creating the hardest 10x10 maze
You are given an empty 10x10 grid. You are allowed to paint some of its cells as walls (black), while the remaining cells stay empty (white). A robot is programmed to start in the top-left corner of ...
13
votes
2answers
596 views
One code to rule them all
Kurt, our crusty old mainframe admin, finally retired last week and I've been given the task of sorting through his files. Most of the files were comprehensible, if not understandable, like his old ~/....
59
votes
1answer
2k views
Selective attention: an unusual game
There's a park behind the local basketball courts, where I like to go for quiet time. The other day, a group of thirty people arrived with a basketball as I was sitting down. One sat next to me, ...
