Cracking Codes

So Sarah, Katie, and I have recently been cracking ciphers in THE CODE BOOK. So far, we have finished two out of 10 and we're pretty proud and excited. Picture Sarah walking down the hall, knowing she cracked a code that not many people in her grade would take the time to do.

. . .

Okay! Back to reality, now. -.-*

Here's the first one we solved:

BT JPX RMLX PCUV AMLX ICVJP IBTWXVR CI M LMT’R PMTN, MTN YVCJX CDXV MWMBTRJ JPX AMTNGXRJBAH UQCT JPX QGMRJXV CI JPX YMGG CI JPX HBTW’R QMGMAX; MTN JPX HBTW RMY JPX QMVJ CI JPX PMTN JPMJ YVCJX. JPXT JPX HBTW’R ACUTJXTMTAX YMR APMTWXN, MTN PBR JPCUWPJR JVCUFGXN PBL, RC JPMJ JPX SCBTJR CI PBR GCBTR YXVX GCCRXN, MTN PBR HTXXR RLCJX CTX MWMBTRJ MTCJPXV. JPX HBTW AVBXN MGCUN JC FVBTW BT JPX MRJVCGCWXVR, JPX APMGNXMTR, MTN JPX RCCJPRMEXVR. MTN JPX HBTW RQMHX, MTN RMBN JC JPX YBRX LXT CI FMFEGCT, YPCRCXDXV RPMGG VXMN JPBR YVBJBTW, MTN RPCY LX JPX BTJXVQVXJMJBCT JPXVXCI, RPMGG FX AGCJPXN YBJP RAMVGXJ, MTN PMDX M APMBT CI WCGN MFCUJ PBR TXAH, MTN RPMGG FX JPX JPBVN VUGXV BT JPX HBTWNCL. JPXT AMLX BT MGG JPX HBTW’R YBRX LXT; FUJ JPXE ACUGN TCJ VXMN JPX YVBJBTW, TCV LMHX HTCYT JC JPX HBTW JPX BTJXVQVXJMJBCT JPXVXCI. JPXT YMR HBTW FXGRPMOOMV WVXMJGE JVCUFGXN, MTN PBR ACUTJXTMTAX YMR APMTWXN BT PBL, MTN PBR GCVNR YXVX MRJCTBRPXN. TCY JPX KUXXT, FE VXMRCT CI JPX YCVNR CI JPX HBTW MTN PBR GCVNR, AMLX BTJC JPX FMTKUXJ PCURX; MTN JPX KUXXT RQMHX MTN RMBN, C HBTW, GBDX ICVXDXV; GXJ TCJ JPE JPCUWPJR JVCUFGX JPXX, TCV GXJ JPE ACUTJXTMTAX FX APMTWXN; JPXVX BR M LMT BT JPE HBTWNCL, BT YPCL BR JPX RQBVBJ CI JPX PCGE WCNR; MTN BT JPX NMER CI JPE IMJPXV GBWPJ MTN UTNXVRJMTNBTW MTN YBRNCL, GBHX JPX YBRNCL CI JPX WCNR, YMR ICUTN BT PBL; YPCL JPX HBTW TXFUAPMNTXOOMV JPE IMJPXV, JPX HBTW, B RME, JPE IMJPXV, LMNX LMRJXV CI JPX LMWBABMTR, MRJVCGCWXVR, APMGNXMTR, MTN RCCJPRMEXVR; ICVMRLUAP MR MT XZAXGGXTJ RQBVBJ, MTN HTCYGXNWX, MTN UTNXVRJMTNBTW, BTJXVQVXJBTW CI NVXMLR, MTN RPCYBTW CI PMVN RXTJXTAXR, MTN NBRRCGDBTW CI NCUFJR, YXVX ICUTN BT JPX RMLX NMTBXG, YPCL JPX HBTW TMLXN FXGJXRPMOOMV; TCY GXJ NMTBXG FX AMGGXN, MTN PX YBGG RPCY JPX BTJXVQVXJMJBCT. JPX IBVRJ ACNXYCVN BR CJPXGGC.

We have the translation and I'm not typing it...but the secret word is OTHELLO.

Here's the second one:

MHILY LZA ZBHL XBPZXBL MVYABUHL HWWPBZ JSHBKPBZ JHLJBZ
KPJABT HYJHUBT LZA ULBAYVU

This one I can definitely put...:

Faber est suae quisque fortunae. -Appius Claudius Caecus
Dictim arcanum est neutron.

Every man is the artisan of his own fortune. (Appius Claudius Caecus)
The secret word is NEUTRON.

The book says the third one is harder than the fourth one. I would have to agree with Simon Singh, becuase the fourth one is just plain Vigenere cipher... I also found out that people who were on the email list from Simon Singh during the competition got hints from him... so not fair. Oh well. I feel as though that if he was able to throw Latin at us out of no where, he might throw other languages at us. Now that I think about it, the only reason he might have chose Latin for this cipher was because it was a Caesar shift cipher. So it was in the original language. Does that mean the fourth (Vigenere) cipher would be in French?! Oh no, Katie, help!