Find the minimum step solution to the number lock puzzle from four clues, each with a 3 digit code and hints on correct digits and their placements.
The 3 Digit Number Lock Puzzle 368 with 4 Clues
Find the 3 digit code from the four clues to unlock the number lock:
Clue 1: Code 3 6 8 : One digit right and in right position.
Clue 2: Code 3 8 7 : Nothing is correct.
Clue 3: Code 2 7 6 : One digit right but wrongly placed.
Clue 4: Code 4 7 1 : Two digits right but wrongly placed.
Try to find the minimum step solution.
Time for the minimum step solution: 10 minutes.
Hint: Use common sense reasoning, identify and use the most valuable resource and identify key patterns in the clues.
Minimum Clue, Minimum Step Solution to the 3 Digit Number Lock Puzzle 368 with 4 Clues
First step must be to find the correct digit as,
- No question to find a correct place before finding a correct digit.
- Pressure is on you to find the optimum solution in minimum steps.
Step 1: Identify the first right digit
No single clue helps to find a correct digit. More than one clue to be analyzed.
From Clue 1 and Clue 2, digit 6 is identified as correct.
Clue 1: Code 3 6 8 : One digit right and in right position.
Clue 2: Code 3 8 7 : Nothing is correct.
- As 3 and 8 are wrong by Clue 2, digit 6 must be the lone right digit already in its middle position in the lock opening code.
- The secret code is of the form ? 6 ?.
Step 2: Identify two more correct digits
Searching for the most suitable clue at this point, Clue 4 draws your attention as it contains the wrong digit 7 and states to have two right digits in its hint code.
Clue 2: Code 3 8 7 : Nothing is correct.
Clue 4: Code 4 7 1 : Two digits right but wrongly placed.
- With digit 7 already identified as wrong, the rest, digits 1 and 4 must be correct but both in wrong positions.
- As second position is already taken up by digit 6, they must interchange positions. Digit 1 takes leftmost position and digit 4 rightmost.
Solution: Code to open the lock is 1 6 4.
The two step Solution must be the minimum step solution.
Clue 3 remains unused, highlighting the efficiency of the solution, but use the free resource of the unused Clue 3 to verify your code.
Clue 3: Code 2 7 6 : One digit right but wrongly placed.
- Digit 6 is the only correct digit and is indeed in the wrong position. Code verified.
Key takeaways by analyzing the decisions you made
If you look back, you will realize you have taken every decision by taking logical, reasonable decisions.
First step analysis:
- Decision to form the first step objective as finding maximum number of correct digits: It followed commonsense reason,
- First step must be to find a correct or incorrect digit, not to find a correct place in the code.
- Identification of Clue 2 as the most valuable resource that has two digits common with Clue 1. This is key pattern identification.
- Not stopping at identifying the correct digit as 6, continuing to identify its correct place as the middle position followed the golden principle of extraction of maximum information in an analytical step. Duly, this position fixing played a crucial role in cracking the code in the second step.
Second step analysis:
- Your decision to identify Clue 4 as the breakthrough Clue was guided by,
- Link reference of incorrect digit 7 in it, and
- Two digits correct with wrong placements. With the middle position taken up by 6, the two correct digits 1 and 4, automatically fell into their correct places. This is key pattern identification of the promising features of Clue 4.
Overall, it has been an exercise of choosing the most suitable combination of clues individually or together for the series of breakthroughs following a strategic approach.
Coupled with the ability to identify a useful pattern and use the pattern for a breakthrough, the strategic analytic approach could deliver the minimum clue, minimum step solution with no fuss or random steps.
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