BarbaraYewsNumberPuzzle.py

# This is a script to find the answer to the Riddler.
# https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/can-you-hunt-for-the-mysterious-numbers/

import random, time

def find_1_digit_factors(target):
    factors = []
    for value in range(1, 10):
        if (target % value == 0):
            factors.append(value)
    return factors + factors + factors

def winnow_factors(factors,target):
    finished = False
    while not finished:
        random.shuffle(factors)
        if factors[0] * factors[1] * factors[2] == target:
            finished = True

    return factors[:3]

def brute_force_answer():

    r_matrix = [294,216,135,98,112,84,245,40]
    b_matrix = [8890560, 156800, 55566]

    found_sol = False
    s_time = time.time()

    while not found_sol:
        a = winnow_factors(find_1_digit_factors(r_matrix[0]), r_matrix[0])
        b = winnow_factors(find_1_digit_factors(r_matrix[1]), r_matrix[1])
        c = winnow_factors(find_1_digit_factors(r_matrix[2]), r_matrix[2])
        d = winnow_factors(find_1_digit_factors(r_matrix[3]), r_matrix[3])
        e = winnow_factors(find_1_digit_factors(r_matrix[4]), r_matrix[4])
        f = winnow_factors(find_1_digit_factors(r_matrix[5]), r_matrix[5])
        g = winnow_factors(find_1_digit_factors(r_matrix[6]), r_matrix[6])
        h = winnow_factors(find_1_digit_factors(r_matrix[7]), r_matrix[7])
        if a[0] * b[0] * c[0] * d[0] * e[0] * f[0] * g[0] * h[0] == b_matrix[0]:
            if a[1] * b[1] * c[1] * d[1] * e[1] * f[1] * g[1] * h[1] == b_matrix[1]:
                if a[2] * b[2] * c[2] * d[2] * e[2] * f[2] * g[2] * h[2] == b_matrix[2]:
                    print("time to solve: ", time.time() - s_time)
                    
                    print("a: ", a)
                    print("b: ", b)
                    print("c: ", c)
                    print("d: ", d)
                    print("e: ", e)
                    print("f: ", f)
                    print("g: ", g)
                    print("h: ", h)
                    found_sol = True

# Press the green button in the gutter to run the script.
if __name__ == '__main__':
    brute_force_answer()
# See PyCharm help at https://www.jetbrains.com/help/pycharm/