Code Nuke
You are a Special Agent who has just found a nuclear bomb hidden on a waste barge in the USA and it is set to go off in 3 minutes. Luckily, it has a keypad to enter a six digit disarm code, and you happen to have found what looks to be the disarm code on a dead terrorist. Unfortunately it is written in some kind of crazy letter code and you have to decode it fast. The code you found is "PS PP LDPE V HDPE PETE". What number do you enter to save the day?
HintThere are a lot of empty plastic bottles kicking around on this waste barge.
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Answer
The answer was as close as the nearest plastic water or soda bottle! The letters (PS, PP, LDPE...) refer to types of plastic which all have recycle codes numbers (found inside of the triangle recycle symbol on plastic products). Using plastic bottles lying all around, you would find that the disarm code is 654321.
Here is the full list: 1 PETE (Polyethylene terephthalate), 2 HDPE (High-density polyethylene), 3 V (Vinyl), 4 LDPE (Low-density polyethylene), 5 PP (Polypropylene), 6 PS (Polystyrene) and 7 OTHER (All other resins and layered multi-material). Soft drink bottles, the plastic kind, are normally 1 PETE. Look around and you will likely find most of the others somewhere in your house.
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Comments
MysticGohan789
Feb 07, 2003
| Question? Has anyone gotten this right |
electronjohn  
Feb 07, 2003
| I posted this question on another site without the answer and a couple of clever people responded with the right answer. But I admit this is not an easy one. If you are looking for an easy one check out my "Off the Wall" riddle. Now that is easy. |
Codammanus
Feb 11, 2003
| I knew that the bottles were the key. Too bad I didn't get up to check until after I gave up! (Gratification lost). Oh well, good-no excellent teaser. |
Codammanus
Feb 11, 2003
| Was this an original? Kudos if true. |
electronjohn
Feb 12, 2003
| Yes this is an original. I came up with it in the shower one morning after I picked up a shampoo bottle I had dropped and noticed the recylce code on the bottom. |
jimbo 
Aug 08, 2003
| I had no idea. I think the soft drink bottles are referred to as PET in Australia. The rest I haven't seen although there are numbers in the base referring to the recycling types. Unless you work in a related industry, not many people would know the chemical composition and abbreviation for all types of recyclable plastics. The information was interesting but I would regard this puzzle as impossible for someone with my own experience. |
electronjohn
Aug 08, 2003
| In the US anyway everyone has seen those recycle codes. Most of us do not pay them any attention though. That is why I liked the idea of this teaser, because everyone does have a chance at solving it as long as they have paid attention to the everyday things in their lives (you do not have to be a chemical expert). Maybe outside of the US they do not use those codes everywhere, but that is why I stated that the barge was in the USA. |
stevier316
Apr 24, 2005
| Geez that was hard!  |
lukeschett
Apr 12, 2007
| I got the bottle thing but i didn't know what each number the codes were. |
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