Leonard (that's him on the left) knows how to use the Automated Teller Machine to get cash for late night snacks and used computer books.
     He also knows that he shouldn't keep his Personal Identification Number (PIN) in his wallet, because if he were to lose it, anyone with his ATM card could steal him blind.
     Leonard worries that he might forget his PIN when he needs some cash. But he gets a bright idea.
     There are two things he never forgets: his uncle Charlie's age and his Q&A date/string programming. (Leonard performs date math calculations in his head).
     So he decides to encrypt his PIN in some Q&A programming code scribbled on a small piece of paper he can carry with him. If anyone should ever get his wallet, why, they'd have to know programming and how old uncle Charlie is. Foolproof!
     Following is the program Leonard wrote to encrypt his PIN. (Nada is his codeword for next April Fool's Date, and It represents the PIN.)

     If Leonard forgets his PIN at the cash machine on March 12, 1998, but remembers that uncle Charlie is 50 years old:

1. What's uncle Charlie's birth date?

2. What PIN will get Leonard some cash?

3. What days of the year will spell trouble for Leonard's calculations?

(Clue: treat both Charlies Birth Date and Nada as Q&A dates.)

Charlies Birth Date =
@Str(@Year(Nada - ((Charlies Age + 2) * 364.25)))
+ "/" + @Str(@Month(Nada)) + "/"
+ @Str(@Right(Nada,1) + 7);

It =
@Mid(Charlies Birth Date, 3, 2)
+ @Str(@Mid(Charlies Birth Date, 3, 1) - 2)
+ @Str(@Right(Charlies Birth Date, 1) + 1)

Answers are at the bottom of the Online Subscription Benefits page. Check

     Got a brain teaser that involves some Q&A know-how? Send it in. If we like it, we'll publish it with credit.

Comments? Looking for something? Write us at inbox@quickanswer.com
Want to submit an article to The Quick Answer? Write to office@quickanswer.com
Phone -  800-780-5474 or 949-722-9127 / Fax - 949-722-9127
Marble Publications, 1927A Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa, California 92627
Last modified: December 11, 2006