Yep, it’s that time again. Google have uploaded another puzzle for you to try out!

Below is a diagram of a computer network. The nodes are hosts on the network, and the lines between them are links. A packet is sent out from host G with a destination of xxx.xx.x.xxx. Which nodes does the packet pass through on its way to the destination? (include start and final node in your answer)

Google’s treasure hunt continues to test the community with a range of puzzles to complete, with the second puzzle.

Once again, head over to http://treasurehunt.appspot.com and as before login with your name and email address. You will be presented with a similar question as follows:

Here is a random zip archive for you to download:
GoogleTreasureHunt08_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX.zip

Unzip the archive, then process the resulting files to obtain a numeric result. You’ll be taking the sum of lines from files matching a certain description, and multiplying those sums together to obtain a final result. Note that files have many different extensions, like ‘.pdf’ and ‘.js’, but all are plain text files containing a small number of lines of text.

Sum of line X for all files with path or name containing XXX and ending in .XXX
Sum of line X for all files with path or name containing XXX and ending in .XXX
Hint: If the requested line does not exist, do not increment the sum.

Multiply all the above sums together and enter the product below.
(Note: Answer must be an exact, decimal representation of the number.)

Ahoy, good luck! Keep watch via the RSS Feed or Sign up for notifications via Windows Live Messenger and/or Email

Ok, I posted about the Google AU Treasure Hunt, and I’m happy to report that the first puzzle is up!

Go to http://treasurehunt.appspot.com and enter your name and email address. You will be presented with a question similar to below:

A robot is located at the top-left corner of a XX x XX grid (marked ‘Start’ in the diagram below)*.

The robot can only move either down or right at any point in time. The robot is trying to reach the bottom-right corner of the grid (marked ‘Finish’ in the diagram below)*.

*Image not to scale.

How many possible unique paths are there?
(Note: Answer must be an exact, decimal representation of the number.)

Let us know via a comment if you find out how to work this puzzle out.. and, lastly - GOOD LUCK!

Update #1 - 15/5/2008 10:55PM GMT +10

Well, there certainly are some smart people out there. Adrian, a member of the Whirlpool online community had this solution for the above mentioned puzzle!

Basically: for a grid with x.y cells on each side, the number of paths
= C(x-1 + y-1, x-1)
= (x-1 + y-1)! / ( (x-1)! (x-1 + y-1 -(x-1))! )
= (x+y-2)! / ((x-1)! (y-1)!)

C = combination formula
x! = x * (x-1) * (x-2) etc…
e.g. 5! = 5 * 4 * 3 * 2 * 1 = 120

Adrian went on to say “The problem occurs with big numbers which quickly exceed a computers 32-bit integer limit.” Of course, there is no better solution to this than to use Google as your Calculator!

Well, if you’re depressed that we haven’t seen any great online games since Microsoft’s Vanishing Point game, then head over to the Google blog where you’ll find this!

The Google Engineering team is launching its first ever Treasure Hunt - a contest designed to challenge your problem-solving skills. Starting soon, we’ll be releasing the first of four puzzles, drawing from computer science, networking, and low-level UNIX trivia. Each puzzle will be posted online week by week, and the first entrants to submit correct answers to each question will receive a prize.

With each puzzle, we’ll also be featuring one of our worldwide offices. The contest will run for four weeks, and you will get a virtual glimpse into our Mountain View, Sydney, and San Francisco offices.

Below is the clue that you’ll need to decode to get to the URL with more details. In the meantime, stay tuned here for directions and updates. And of course, to preserve fairness, no Google employees allowed

Arrrrrrrr you ready? Onward to the first puzzle, matey! And good luck!
aHR0cDovL3RyZWFzdXJlaHVudC5hcHBzcG90LmNvbS8=

Notice they say “first entrants“? Hmm.. Interesting thing to store in the back of your mind for later. For those who are stuck on the “aHR0cDovL3RyZWFzdXJlaHVudC5hcHBzcG90LmNvbS8=” string of text, convert it into http://treasurehunt.appspot.com/ which, directs you to this message:

Welcome to the Treasure Hunt!

The contest is not open, please check back later.

Convert the lovely “1210550400″ note at the end of the blog post, and be aware that it all begins on the 12th of May… good luck! I’ll keep you posted!

UPDATE #1 - 9/5/08 4:00pm - The page has been updated to:

Congratulations on solving the first clue!

Shiver me timbers - the contest’s not open yet! Have you
solved the second clue from our blog post already?
Here is the second clue: 1210550400

While you’re waiting, why not read about what’s been happening at our Sydney office?