One Word Wonder

You solved this puzzle in 5 minutes and 4 seconds and were the 6th Tanga member to solve it. You earned 105 points for solving this.

Wow! Hard puzzle, apparently.

Yay for my first first! :)

Took 2 minutes 8 seconds.

[2] congrats!!

Is the answer to this a number or a word?

[4] A word.

It's a DWORD, alright.

lol, thanks [5] and [6]

[6] Sounds like a programmer hint

Ha! Good thing I took A+ cert classes in High School. Fun one, Murdoctor!

Highschool? You must have been around 16 then...that was a good age, drivers license and all! :)

I'm surprised to be in the top 100 at 11:41 pm. I thought this would be fairly obvious for the Tanga crowd.

[10] It was. I went to a high school that had an IT program that certified in A+ CompTIA certifications and CISCO networking certs.

I remember thinking that I could repair computers, but not order a drink. :-D

No idea how to convert my number to a "DWORD"...

It has nothing to do with a DWORD. Just make sure your math is right.

i can't figure out the key to this... i thought it was related to the shape the puzzle is one... but that's not working. :(

[15] The shape is definitely a clue for the key to solving this.

I figured a hexagon would be more recognizable than a hexadecagon, though.

Lost internet due to the snow last night so didn't get to compete. :(

I had planned a OWW based on this idea - guess I'm back to the drawing board now.

Thank you [6] and my PC's tool in the accessories section.

Whew, that would've been completely impossible for me had it not been for Murdoctor's [16] salt.

Felt like this took me 747,000,160,976.

[20] Cute!

Were you 19,6080,109 for a while... until you finally 233,573,869 it?

[16] I realize you intended it as such, but that shape is NOT a clue and is downright misleading.

Loved the puzzle, but what I'm most excited about is what [18] taught me!

I had NO idea that this tool went beyond its basic, default function.

I've spun my wheels a lot in the past not realizing that this was at my fingertips.

Thanks.

[22] I don't mean to sound jerky, but while I had a hunch as to what type of calculation was needed, it was the shape that told me specifically which form of calculation to make. I hesitate to say more for fear of being too salty, but you probably know what I'm trying to say.

At any rate, for me it definitely was a clue that helped me to solve it quicker.

[22] It's a clue, though indirectly so... hence my additional salt.

Truthfully, the very first equation should be all anyone needs to be able to figure it out... that and a little "basic" math.

6x * 4 = x^2 + 8x

[16] No, the polygon definitely needed 10 more sides for it to be a fair puzzle.

I spent 40 minutes trying to do different 6-based math gyrations to solve this until somebody used the programmer term "DWORD".

[25] If something gets you on the right wavelength to draw up that equation. Sadly, I was off on other tangents.

[26] But one should quickly see that "6" won't make the math work properly.

Besides, what's a 1-syllable word that is frequently used by gamers for that shape, and that is also used to refer to a key component of this puzzle? That word makes the shape a very valid clue.

[16] Thanks. I really wish you had used a hexadecagon, though. I tried everything I could think of with 6 and then gave up last night....

[27] My point was that if the hexagon got you off-base, it should be clear that "6" is the wrong way to go, and that equation gives you the correct method.

I'm only 16 - baseicly figured it out by myself...

[25] Glad you put quotes around "basic" math. Moving away from the D system is a pretty large leap, not often taken by non-programmers.

Thanks [23]

Thank God for online converters. LOL on the answer

[24] - I have to agree with you. No shape would have been better than the incorrect shape since it led me in the wrong direction too and it took me a while to get to the base of the problem.
Murdocters salt got me there in a nanosecond.

I'm with [19], [22], and the others in that spirit. The comment in [16] made the puzzle obvious in a way that a hexagon never could. Hexadecagons are easy to recognize! Additionally, being a mathematician rather than a CS person doesn't help since the star operation can be darn near anything.

Hey Murdoctor,

This was not fair to anyone that didn't have any computer programming knowledge. I have some, but my wife didn't. I am calling foul on your puzzle, and think this is a low point for you!

The DWORD clue was great.

It helps if you correctly identify the shape...

:facepalm:

[38] ... says the person named "NullPointer". LOL