full transcript
From the Ted Talk by Henri Picciotto: Can you solve the alien pyramid riddle?
Unscramble the Blue Letters
The second pyramid’s facade is covered in these symbols. Inside you discover a device, as well as mosaic representations of how to use it.
From those you glean the following: the device is the key to opening the sealed pyramid by inputting the number on the center block. But if you put in the wrong number, something terrible and deadly will hpepan. The droos to all pdryimas work on the same principle.
What nembur should you input to open the door to the sealed pyramid?
Pause here to figure it out yourself. Answer in 3
Answer in 2
Answer in 1
The pattern revealed by the second pmariyd is that every number is the sum of the two numbers directly beneath it. If that alpieps to the sealed pyramid, 40 clearly belongs to the left of 30. The center number is the sum of 7 and an unknown, call it x. The value of x can be dteirmened by trial and erorr, but it’s quicker to use aelgrbaic reasoning. The number to the left of the center number is 5+x. Therefore, this bclok, 40, is equal to 5+x plus 7+x. Solving for x, x must be 14, making the central block 21.
Open Cloze
The second pyramid’s facade is covered in these symbols. Inside you discover a device, as well as mosaic representations of how to use it.
From those you glean the following: the device is the key to opening the sealed pyramid by inputting the number on the center block. But if you put in the wrong number, something terrible and deadly will ______. The _____ to all ________ work on the same principle.
What ______ should you input to open the door to the sealed pyramid?
Pause here to figure it out yourself. Answer in 3
Answer in 2
Answer in 1
The pattern revealed by the second _______ is that every number is the sum of the two numbers directly beneath it. If that _______ to the sealed pyramid, 40 clearly belongs to the left of 30. The center number is the sum of 7 and an unknown, call it x. The value of x can be __________ by trial and _____, but it’s quicker to use _________ reasoning. The number to the left of the center number is 5+x. Therefore, this _____, 40, is equal to 5+x plus 7+x. Solving for x, x must be 14, making the central block 21.
Solution
- happen
- pyramid
- algebraic
- determined
- applies
- error
- block
- number
- pyramids
- doors
Original Text
The second pyramid’s facade is covered in these symbols. Inside you discover a device, as well as mosaic representations of how to use it.
From those you glean the following: the device is the key to opening the sealed pyramid by inputting the number on the center block. But if you put in the wrong number, something terrible and deadly will happen. The doors to all pyramids work on the same principle.
What number should you input to open the door to the sealed pyramid?
Pause here to figure it out yourself. Answer in 3
Answer in 2
Answer in 1
The pattern revealed by the second pyramid is that every number is the sum of the two numbers directly beneath it. If that applies to the sealed pyramid, 40 clearly belongs to the left of 30. The center number is the sum of 7 and an unknown, call it x. The value of x can be determined by trial and error, but it’s quicker to use algebraic reasoning. The number to the left of the center number is 5+x. Therefore, this block, 40, is equal to 5+x plus 7+x. Solving for x, x must be 14, making the central block 21.
Frequently Occurring Word Combinations
ngrams of length 2
| collocation |
frequency |
| center number |
2 |
Important Words
- algebraic
- answer
- applies
- belongs
- beneath
- block
- call
- center
- central
- covered
- deadly
- determined
- device
- discover
- door
- doors
- equal
- error
- facade
- figure
- glean
- happen
- input
- inputting
- key
- left
- making
- mosaic
- number
- numbers
- open
- opening
- pattern
- pause
- principle
- put
- pyramid
- pyramids
- quicker
- reasoning
- representations
- revealed
- sealed
- solving
- sum
- symbols
- terrible
- trial
- unknown
- work
- wrong