Structuring the Taman Shud code cracking process
Here are some preliminary guidelines on how to structure the investigation into the code. The idea of the project is not to crack the code as such. The idea is to eliminate what the code is not in a structured and well-documented way. Of course, if you crack the whole thing open that will be the cherry on the cake, but we are marking you on the engineering methodology you put into the cake and not the cherry.
In any engineering problem, what we always to is make simplified assumptions to make the problem tractable and then add extra complexity later (if needed). The same trick hold for analyzing this code. Break it up into a number of tasks that are based on reasonable simplified assumptions. Investigate these simplified cases thoroughly, and then the results will suggest where to go next. So long as you do each step methodically that is what matters. We don't care if you don't crack the code. If you run out of time to add on further complexities, you can suggest what needs to be done in the future in your conclusions. So the conclusion of your final report should present a structured plan on what a future team needs to do.
Hypothesis 1: the code is gibberish
- Assume the code is in fact a meaningless string of letters. This assumes the Somerton man was normally an English speaker, but was drunk or so badly poisoned with hallucinogen that he was writing a delusional string of letters.
- Think of ways to test this hypothesis.
- Get 10 native English speakers to write a string of 50 random letters before and after a fixed number of beers. They must try to be random only using their mind and not use computers or external devices. Better to chose friends who study courses where they don't teach you what randomness is. Otherwise you may get the odd friend who tries to be too smart and not go with the game. Arts students will be perfect victims.
- Then think of ways you can statistically compare the Somerton code to these gibberish sequences. Plot letter frequencies of gibberish with error bars. Make counts of letter pair frequencies. Are there letters of the alphabet people consistently missed out?
Calculate the average information in bits per symbol, .
2) Assumption 2: The code is in English, but the letters have been substituted.
This is what we will do.........
3) Assumption 3: The code is in English and the letters are as they are supposed to be.
This is what we will do.......
4) Assumption 4: The code is in a foreign language. This is what we will do.......
(I think you need to restrict this case to foreign + no character
substitution. You do not have time to attack the case of foreign
with substitution.....you have to say that is beyond the scope of the pro
See also
- Cipher Cracking 2009
- Final report 2009: Who killed the Somerton man?
- Timeline of the Taman Shud Case
- List of people connected to the Taman Shud Case
- List of facts on the Taman Shud Case that are often misreported