Solution: Interlude: Economics
Answer: DATA TRADING
Written by Mike Sylvia
In this interlude, the output takes the form of a list of “exchange rates” associated with up to eleven currencies. Each of the first eleven letters in the input is converted with A1-Z26, and then the resulting set of numbers is divided by a set of eleven hidden values; for example, the first letter of the input is always divided by 4 and then reported as the first exchange rate in the output. (Non-alphabetical characters are ignored, and if the input has N<11 letters, only the first N exchange rates are given.)
| Currency | Divisor | Letter |
|---|---|---|
| Argentine Peso | 4 | D |
| British Pound | 1 | A |
| Chinese Yuan | 20 | T |
| Danish Krone | 1 | A |
| Hungarian Forint | 20 | T |
| Israeli Shekel | 18 | R |
| Japanese Yen | 1 | A |
| Kazakhstani Tenge | 4 | D |
| Libyan Dinar | 9 | I |
| Malaysian Ringgit | 14 | N |
| New Zealand Dollar | 7 | G |
Converting the rates back into letters gives the threat to the Economics department: it’s DATA, TRADING.