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Verbal arithmetic

Verbal arithmetic, also known


as alphametics, cryptarithmetic, cryptarithm
or word addition, is a type of mathematical
game consisting of a
mathematical equation among
unknown numbers, whose digits are represented
by letters. The goal is to identify the value of
each letter. The name can be extended to
puzzles that use non-alphabetic symbols instead
of letters.
The equation is typically a basic operation
of arithmetic, such as addition, multiplication,
or division. The classic example, published in the
July 1924 issue of Strand Magazine byHenry
Dudeney,[1] is:
The solution to this puzzle is O = 0, M = 1, Y = 2,
E = 5, N = 6, D = 7, R = 8, and S = 9.
Traditionally, each letter should represent a
different digit, and (as in ordinary arithmetic
notation) the leading digit of a multi-digit number
must not be zero. A good puzzle should have a
unique solution, and the letters should make up a
phrase (as in the example above).
Verbal arithmetic can be useful as a motivation
and source of exercises in
the teaching of algebra.
Contents

History

Types of Cryptarithms

Solving cryptarithms
History[edit]
Verbal arithmetic puzzles are quite old and their
inventor is not known. An 1864 example in The
American Agriculturist[2] disproves the popular
notion that it was invented by Sam Loyd. The
name "cryptarithmie" was coined by puzzlist
Minos (pseudonym of Simon Vatriquant) in the
May 1931 issue of Sphinx, a Belgian magazine of
recreational mathematics, and was translated as
"cryptarithmetic" by Maurice Kraitchik in 1942.
[3]
In 1955, J. A. H. Hunter introduced the word
"alphametic" to designate cryptarithms, such as
Dudeney's, whose letters form
meaningful words or phrases.[4]
Types of Cryptarithms[edit]
Types of cryptarithm include the alphametic, the
digimetic, and the skeletal division.
1.Alphametic A type of cryptarithm in which a set
of words is written down in the form of a long
addition sum or some other mathematical
problem. The object is to replace the letters of
the alphabet with decimal digits to make a valid
arithmetic sum.
2.Digimetic A cryptarithm in which digits are
used to represent other digits.

3.Skeletal division A long division in which most


or all of the digits are replaced by symbols
(usually asterisks) to form a cryptarithm.
A rare variation is the reverse cryptarithm,
where a formula is written and the solution is the
corresponding cryptarithm whose solution is the
formula given.
Solving cryptarithms[edit]
Solving a cryptarithm by hand usually involves a
mix of deductions and exhaustive tests of
possibilities. For instance the following sequence
of deductions solves Dudeney's SEND + MORE =
MONEY puzzle above (columns are numbered
from right to left):
1.From column 5, M = 1 since it is the only
carry-over possible from the sum of two
single digit numbers in column 4.
2.Since there is a carry in column 5, O must be
less than or equal to M (from column 4). But
O cannot be equal to M, so O is less than M.
Therefore O = 0.
3.Since O is 1 less than M, S is either 8 or 9
depending on whether there is a carry in
column 4. But if there were a carry in column
4, N would be less than or equal to O (from
column 3). This is impossible since O = 0.
Therefore there is no carry in column 3 and S
= 9.

4.If there were no carry in column 3 then E =


N, which is impossible. Therefore there is a
carry and N = E + 1.
5.If there were no carry in column 2, then ( N +
R ) mod 10 = E, and N = E + 1, so ( E + 1 +
R ) mod 10 = E which means ( 1 + R ) mod
10 = 0, so R = 9. But S = 9, so there must be
a carry in column 2 so R = 8.
6.To produce a carry in column 2, we must
have D + E = 10 + Y.
7.Y is at least 2 so D + E is at least 12.
8.The only two pairs of available numbers that
sum to at least 12 are (5,7) and (6,7) so
either E = 7 or D = 7.
9.Since N = E + 1, E can't be 7 because then N
= 8 = R so D = 7.
10. E can't be 6 because then N = 7 = D so E
= 5 and N = 6.
11. D + E = 12 so Y = 2.
The use of modular arithmetic often helps. For
example, use of mod-10 arithmetic allows the
columns of an addition problem to be treated
as simultaneous equations, while the use of mod2 arithmetic allows inferences based on
the parity of the variables.
In computer science, cryptarithms provide good
examples to illustrate the brute force method,
and algorithms that generate

all permutations of m choices from n possibilities.


For example, the Dudeney puzzle above can be
solved by testing all assignments of eight values
among the digits 0 to 9 to the eight letters
S,E,N,D,M,O,R,Y, giving 1,814,400 possibilities.
They also provide good examples
for backtracking paradigm of algorithm design.

Other cryptarithm:
Cryptarithms
Cryptarithms are a type of mathematical puzzle in which the digits are replaced by symbols
(typically letters of the alphabet). For example:

9567 + 1085 = 10652


can be represented like this:

abcd + efgb = efcbh

Alphametics
The term alphametic is used when the letters form words and phrases. Here's a famous one:

S E N D
M O R E

+
+
1

9
1

5
0

6
8

7
5

There is also a subset of alphametics called


words are spelt out numbers which also form a valid sum:

+
3

7
8
8

8
5
5

6
0
0

M O N E Y
'doubly-true' where the

F O R T Y
T E N
+
T E N
S

X T Y

Alphametics - Examples
Below are some alphametic examples. Click on the link beside each puzzle to see the solution,
or return to the home page.

N U M B E R
+ N U M B E R
+

2
2

0
0

1
1

6
6

8
8

9
9

P U Z Z L E

T I L E S
+ P U Z Z L E S
+

9
7

1
7

5
5

4
4

2
2

9
+
1

0
6
6

8
5
8

9
9
9

2
2
2

P I

C T U R E

C L O C K
T I C K
T O C K
P L A N E T

+
+
1

8
8

1
1

8
0

6
6

O A S

+
9
+
1

7
7

9
9

+
1

4
8

5
9

4
4

8
8
1

0
0
9

6
6
3

4
4
6

C O C A
C O L A
I

H E R E
S H E
C O M E S

D O U B L E
D O U B L E
T O I L
T R O U B L E

9
+

T H R
T H R
T
T
O

E
E
W
W
N

E
E
O
O
E

8
0
8

7
8
7

+
1
+

+
1

9
6

6
2

2
5

3
1

3
3

H U N T

4
4

6
6
8
8
3

1
1
0
0
9

1
1
3
3
1

7 1 2 1 9
C R O S S
R O A D S

D A N G E R

+
+

8
8

E L E V E N

N O
G U N
N O

8
7

4
3

8
5

5
8

M E M O
F R O M
H O M E R

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