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kaarterdme

Member

Registered: 2019-11-26

Posts: 7

Interpreting symbols

Can someone help me with this one?

I'm having trouble understanding the symbols. 

The hints say that

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For ’+’, combine lit elements (logical OR)
For ’–’, remove lit elements (logical XOR)
For ’&’, find elements in both the first and the second input (logical AND)

Can someone explain this to me?

Do I have to know

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computer science?

Do I have to teach myself

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Boolean Algebra?

kite

Member

Registered: 2019-11-29

Posts: 13

Re: Interpreting symbols

I (Kite's husband) work in the field you mentioned, and I found this one confusing.  The concepts in the puzzle are used in that field, but the operators (symbols) in the puzzle aren't standard; perhaps the authors thought they'd be more intuitive for laypeople.

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For each operator, you'll need to combine two glyphs to create a new glyph.  Here, I'm using 'glyph' to describe the image created by the 7-segment displays.  The initial glyphs across the top of the page all look like digits, but your intermediate results may not look like anything meaningful.

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For '+': if a given segment is lit in at least one of the input glyphs, it should be lit in the output glyph.
For '-': start with the input glyph that has more segments lit, then remove whatever segments are lit in the other input glyph. (The way I've described this is more consistent with their use of '-' as the operator and 'remove' as the hint, but not really the same as 'XOR', although they happen to work out the same in this puzzle.)
For '&': if a given segment is lit in BOTH of the input glyphs, it should be lit in the output glyph.

Also, I found it helpful to draw arrows on some of the lines to make it clear which way they're going.

kaarterdme

Member

Registered: 2019-11-26

Posts: 7

Re: Interpreting symbols

THANK YOU!

You gave me the final piece I needed!

I already looked up a bit about

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logic gates

but I was trying to apply it to the

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numbers! Not segments!

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Alex55

Member

Registered: 2019-11-18

Posts: 121

Re: Interpreting symbols

Can anyone explain it, for those who have these kind of knowledge?

summer

Member

Registered: 2019-12-15

Posts: 10

Re: Interpreting symbols

I just solved this and if the message at the top shows the exact hints from previously then they must have been rewritten since I think they now make clear that you don't need to understand Boolean logic to solve it. You just need to:

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add together lit segments from both inputs for +, subtract lit segments for -, and keep segments lit in both for &.

AcidBurn39

Member

Registered: 2020-08-11

Posts: 120

Re: Interpreting symbols

Help needed
How and what to combine exactly??
so in the end you get letters??
do you keep everything where there is & symbol. So you keep 5 and 4 as it is?

Last edited by AcidBurn39 (2020-09-11 10:01:11)

mcwuzzy

Member

Registered: 2020-01-27

Posts: 34

Re: Interpreting symbols

Help needed
How and what to combine exactly??
so in the end you get letters??

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Each junction indicates a calculation. Minus means remove lit segments that are the same in both, plus means all lit segments are carried forward, ampersand indicates a boolean AND so only lit segments in both are caried forward

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At each junction draw the resultant LED pattern based on the result, e.g. at the minus where 8 and 7 meet you get the two left vertical segments and the middle and bottom horizontal segments, in a stretch of the imagination, this is a lowercase letter t

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do this for each junction carried forward to the end boxes and you will get two words which the give you the code word

AcidBurn39

Member

Registered: 2020-08-11

Posts: 120

Re: Interpreting symbols

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So what to do with 5, 4 and & symbol
I carry everything over?
How to do that one??

mcwuzzy

Member

Registered: 2020-01-27

Posts: 34

Re: Interpreting symbols

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So what to do with 5, 4 and & symbol
I carry everything over?
How to do that one??

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With the 5&4 the segments that remain are top left vertical, middle horizontal and bottom right vertical, as those are the three segments that are lit in both 5 & 4

Last edited by mcwuzzy (2020-09-11 13:23:04)

AcidBurn39

Member

Registered: 2020-08-11

Posts: 120

Re: Interpreting symbols

Can I ask for step by step solution how to combine everything??

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So what to do with 5, 4 and & symbol
I carry everything over?
How to do that one??

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With the 5&4 the segments that remain are top left vertical, middle horizontal and bottom right vertical, as those are the three segments that are lit in both 5 & 4

mcwuzzy

Member

Registered: 2020-01-27

Posts: 34

Re: Interpreting symbols

Guided steps to the solution

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A -First row 8 - 7, delete any common segments, leaves a kind of t shape

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B -First row 7 - 1, delete any common segments,  leaves only the top horizontal

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C -First row 1 & 5, only common segments remain, the bottom right vertical

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D -First row 5 & 4, only common segments remain, top left vertical, middle horizontal, bottom right vertical

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E -Second row, delete any common segments from 4 and result C above, leaves a U shape 

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F -Second row, add all segments from B and result E above, leaves an O shape 

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G -Second row, delete any common segments from 8 and 1, leaves an E shape 

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H -Second row (last sum), only common segments remain from D & 0, leaves top left vertical and bottom right vertical   

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H -Second row (fourth sum), delete any common segments from C and H , leaves top left vertical 

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H -Third row (last sum), only common segments remain from F & 0, leaves n shapel   

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I -Third row, add all segments from B and I above, leaves an r shape 

AcidBurn39

Member

Registered: 2020-08-11

Posts: 120

Re: Interpreting symbols

SOLVED

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Guided solution provided by mcwuzzy helped
you get a two words that you need to combine to one word solution

F - - - E

Last edited by AcidBurn39 (2020-09-14 07:02:08)

AcidBurn39

Member

Registered: 2020-08-11

Posts: 120

Re: Interpreting symbols

Thank you. That helped.

Guided steps to the solution

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A -First row 8 - 7, delete any common segments, leaves a kind of t shape

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B -First row 7 - 1, delete any common segments,  leaves only the top horizontal

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C -First row 1 & 5, only common segments remain, the bottom right vertical

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D -First row 5 & 4, only common segments remain, top left vertical, middle horizontal, bottom right vertical

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E -Second row, delete any common segments from 4 and result C above, leaves a U shape 

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F -Second row, add all segments from B and result E above, leaves an O shape 

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G -Second row, delete any common segments from 8 and 1, leaves an E shape 

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H -Second row (last sum), only common segments remain from D & 0, leaves top left vertical and bottom right vertical   

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H -Second row (fourth sum), delete any common segments from C and H , leaves top left vertical 

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H -Third row (last sum), only common segments remain from F & 0, leaves n shapel   

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I -Third row, add all segments from B and I above, leaves an r shape 

kimf

Member

Registered: 2020-09-19

Posts: 10

Re: Interpreting symbols

I am questioning if I even came up with the correct letters

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oottrue

404

Administrator

Registered: 2019-11-17

Posts: 59

Re: Interpreting symbols

I am questioning if I even came up with the correct letters

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oottrue

Just one letter is wrong.

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It's the first letter.