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Yesterday, while I was tidying my attic, I found a letter dedicated to my great-great-grandfather. (Note that the letter was inside a box which my great-great-grandfather transmitted to my great-grandfather, and so on...) It is supposed to tell him his death-day. I actually know he got murdered, and I also know the exact date when it happened. Now I just want to know if this letter is actually accurate, but I can't decrypt/solve it. Can someone please help me? This is what it says (except the part about how he will be killed):

... (5.3-912-83-19-24) + (2.3-12-931-453-1) = mm

(119.9-12-32-183-873) + (300-200-193-930-39.2) = dd

(4.2-342-12-123-847) + (293-1-2-93-8.7) + (59-21-329-12-23-987) + (4.2-181-192-712-9995) = yyyy

Have fun decrypting it. Meanwhile I will wait. You should start learning how to make SOS-signs, because no-one will hear you.

P.S: Don't even think of solving it the "regular" way, like you've learned in school, you silly!

Rand al'Thor
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    I upvoted this since it's a nice first post, but it's also very easy. Morse code is one of the first things people will look for in a cryptograms puzzle (along with Baconian cipher, turning letters into numbers, and a few other simple tricks), even without the SOS-clue; and using actual dots and dashes just makes it even more obvious. Have a look at this question for comparison. There are a lot of bright people here, so you don't have to give too many clues! I look forward to seeing more of your puzzles :-) – Rand al'Thor Aug 08 '15 at 14:10
  • Also, the "..." at the start of the month line put me off a bit at first! – Rand al'Thor Aug 08 '15 at 14:23
  • rand al'thor's comment will be one of the first things I look for! – Andreas Aug 09 '15 at 20:07

1 Answers1

6

It was on

19 November 1901

because (short answer)

Morse code

or because (long answer)

Ignore the numbers in the puzzle; they're just a red herring. Concentrate instead on the dots and dashes between the numbers. We get:

mm = (.----)(.----) = 11
dd = (.----)(----.) = 19
yyyy = (.----)(----.)(-----)(.----) = 1901.

Rand al'Thor
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  • Wow, that was quick! That's the right date! –  Aug 08 '15 at 14:05
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    @LuxxMiner Gotta be quick here, because people are too good! – Rand al'Thor Aug 08 '15 at 14:06
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    Gave a lot of hints, too, such as transmitted, SOS... Great nonetheless! – Josh Aug 08 '15 at 18:55
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    @Josh Yeah, this is my first post and I was really unsure how many hints I should give :P I'll try to do better next time. –  Aug 08 '15 at 19:00
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    @LuxxMiner, I think you did very well. Just because it was solved quickly by a bunch of really smart puzzle nerds (no offence, @randal'thor), doesn't make it a bad puzzle. It's a great puzzle, and many great puzzles are solved quickly on this site. Keep up the good work! – GentlePurpleRain Aug 09 '15 at 04:21