Histogram (for J:1 I:1 L:2 ) Mystery Cache

This cache has been archived.

The Macho Homemaker: I have decided to reduce the number of geocaches I have active as I seem to be making more and more trips to maintain them.

The gas is getting expensive, even at this (relatively) low level.

In the case of this park, the trail system appears to be completely abandoned and hardly anyone is coming anymore.

More
Hidden : 4/19/2013
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: not chosen (not chosen)

Join now to view geocache location details. It's free!

Watch

How Geocaching Works
Looking for a different adventure?

Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions in our disclaimer.

Geocache Description:

In a bit of a break from my usual practice...
A puzzle cache easy enough for even TJPost to solve!

If you've done any of my caches, you've probably noticed that I like codes and ciphers.
I especially like breaking them.

One of the tools used to break a substitution cipher (the simplest form of cipher) is the "histogram".
Simply put, it is a chart of the frequencies of each letter in the alphabet as they appear in the ciphertext.

Then, this chart is compared with the one for the language the plaintext is probably written in.  In our case, usually English.

Here is the chart for the English language:
English Histogram
As you can see, the letter 'e' is the most common followed by 't', 'a', 'o', & 'i'.

Here's how it works:

Let's start with a sample ciphertext created using a substitution cipher.

AV GLT'OQ ULIQ JIG LV PG FJFDQK, GLT'OQ NWLMJMBG ILRAFQU RDJR A BAEQ FLUQK JIU FANDQWK.
A QKNQFAJBBG BAEQ MWQJEAIC RDQP.

LIQ LV RDQ RLLBK TKQU RL MWQJE J KTMKRARTRALI FANDQW (RDQ KAPNBQKR VLWP LV FANDQW) AK RDQ "DAKRLCWJP".
KAPNBG NTR, AR AK J FDJWR LV RDQ VWQSTQIFAQK LV QJFD BQRRQW AI RDQ JBNDJMQR JK RDQG JNNQJW AI RDQ FANDQWRQXR.

RDQI, RDAK FDJWR AK FLPNJWQU HARD RDQ LIQ VLW RDQ BJICTJCQ RDQ NBJAIRQXR AK NWLMJMBG HWARRQI AI.  AI LTW FJKQ, TKTJBBG QICBAKD.
DQWQ AK RDQ FDJWR VLW RDQ QICBAKD BJICTJCQ:

Now, lets create the histogram using one of the many tools available online: (Image to right)

As you can see the most common letter is 'Q' and the next most common is 'R'.  If you assumed that the 'Q' = 'E' and 'R' = 'T' (which happens to be correct) you will have made a pretty good start breaking this cipher.		 Sample Histogram


This is helpful because you can use the letter-frequency histogram to determine what kind of cipher was used to create the ciphertext.  

For example, the "Vigenere Cipher" which is commonly used in geocaching puzzles gives (typically) a histogram like this:

You can see, it is much more even than the one above.  This is because there is a greater amount of randomness in the cipher...making it harder to break.		 Vigenere Cipher Histogram


An even more secure cipher is the 'One Time Pad'.  This is a typical histogram for a short message (the longer the message, the more even the chart):

As you can see, the histogram is almost perfectly flat.  This indicates a cipher with a HIGH degree of randomness and thus would be nearly impossible to break.		 Histogram from one-time pad.

So.  How do you use this to find the cache?

You don't.  It really has nothing to do with the puzzle other than the technique used to generate the "Letter Count" histograms is the one needed to solve the puzzle below:
BFCJBHIGBEKIJBKEJICJCGJAJBJIJKKFIFFECBBLFGBJEIADKDKHGDIAJDKIHEGJIAGCFIHCGGJDCHKF
HDDCDCGJDIFIJCBBEFHEKAJHCBBDKFFHBDHFCBEHKKFCGDAKIJAFEFBJIRGFDTGBJFGKEEIHAEJGNCFA
IKBBAIFGKCBKAIAJEIJEHIHKBFDBJILAJFFIAJKAKIDEADJKKDDGFAFHGGCJFCCBECEHYKJAHJTIHHBK
IHGKFHKKEGAIJEAHJGAAECJABIADAIFCCHAFCIFFJHICDDIFICNAIDDACCBDEEIADFKKQFDIKDGDHAGB
KEADIIEDHJHKFJFEAEDKJBABHJHDHKAIAGJCEBBBBCCHJEHKJBEHITJEIKJGBJJFEFFIGCCKGBBBGHID
GJDFGHEEKEBHDGJDJEBKJKAKDKGJIACDEGEHIORECJJEHJBDJKFAHEEIDGGIKICBABFCBCBBGJGGNKGB
AGHECHABBCDDJJJJKCACKBCJIHCEDIJDGKICCKKCFIFIHGFCIBIEHEAKMGCFDBEKKDIKJEIAIEPBIAUJ
IJDDADEBIAKBCEKIHEIBAAJDEABCKGEGFJKJIIEGHFIHJHHCJBFDAFFDEGGCEDKDDJIEAAHHGFDIDKGK
GFAJJAACGBGGKJIBQJHKIEJJBFJIKEJGAAJDIEEIGUEBCELUCAKCAJHFITTCGDBKDHCDKIKAICEJHJIA
JAKHKIDIGABHKABAAAIHBHBFGEGFDCECFIKKIBKIIGGGIHEKCIIBFJFJJKGGKCGECJKDYKCFJGKEABAA
DEFAKJGKEKDGHAKKADBHCBJBCKBAFWXEDHKAHJJGKDMOPKDJDEJHFDIBGFDEACCGJCJCHCBKDOFJFIFH
BEIADFCBCKKIBDCBFCDCKFBIBCAFCFGBAGFFTCHKKDHIFGCKGHBBBEACIBECEFDAHCEJGJIGJHGFGDBK
CHFGAJAKCJHJCCBJEKKAELGHDJEIBHAJJIDKFEHKGBEJIKHFECFDKHDAEFDDAHDIAFJGFBJCAGEJIJJB
GDAFKGAFIHACFHAKCUEACDEDFBCAAABJFGEHDJIIBCEJJEGJHHKDGEKHCHJBDDKDBHFJACJEIFIEJTUH
IDKCBJKGDBGGKIACFCDAAAHHFEFJCJJECHJIBFHBKEHCBCFEIBAEABKIFJKABBCIEJIEEGGDFBFBJKHH
GDAFKKBQIDKHCGKBTCJHDDAEEGGDAJCKBBKDGIIDEJIBDFBHEAHJJJHCHBDEJFEFBEGKEEEJDAGJDDEF
GEHKIZIBKDFKBJKACCDHDBKDBJREHIGJAEIQEDDIAKDGCAFJKBCIIABECVACHDFKIGDBJDEBKCFFGJHG
JGNBJHFAGDBIBGCAIEFCGOIGGDDAIJGJIBJEECABFHBJGFBEAFFBEBBDDDIEADGBFHAIEDHHBFGCHBJK
EHJFHDRFKEGEEKHKFDIFIIAHKAHHEIDIHGCDFDCAICHEEGKDBIJKJHEJADAIECIBGGKJDBDBDEDNAAHB
KBABDDBFWJDBKGADEJIFGKBBBEABIJBIBAIHEEJKBCPEJJHJIKDKKKFIFIHBFEEKEJIEJKDHVCAGDFEF
BIIDJFFHGJADKKJKCEICDAKBBDIAJCIJJBCKJHAABEDBDGBHECKRIAKFKIAAJJKFFJFEJJGCAJFKCFGK
EGBIDEGEBJEICJAFGDBJAIAGGEJFDFBKICGJIFJOQBCKACFHEEFJACDBECABGHDYCHFBFHFDBAJJZJEB
KFJAHEIEDJKGFKEFIAEBJBBFEKIJCADBBHGHHBAK

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

uggc://jjj.punenpgreserdhraplnanylmre.pbz/ratyvfu/vaqrk.cuc

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


Advertising with Us