Interstellar Message

 

Interstellar Message: Page #4

Parameter

Value
Date/Time Began 04/10/2007 04:57:57 UT
Number of Times Repeated 1,024
Date/Time Finished 04/14/2007 04:30:59 UT
Number of Pulses 410
Page Duration (With Delay) 5 min 35.92 sec
Data Transfer Rate 3.43 bits per second
Symbol A (84.7 Hz) Occurs 32 times
Symbol C (119.8 Hz) Occurs 85 times
Symbol D (142.4 Hz) Occurs 171 times
Symbol E (169.4 Hz) Occurs 32 times
Symbol F (201.5 Hz) Occurs 44 times
Symbol H (284.9 Hz) Occurs 34 times
Symbol I (338.8 Hz) Occurs 12 times

 

Page #4 is as follows:

1.) DCDFCDHDDEA
2.) DCDFDDHCDEA
3.) CDDFDDHDDEA
4.) DDDFCCDHDDEA
5.) DDDFDDHCCDEA
6.) DCDFDHCCDEA
7.) DCDFCCDHDEA
8.) CDFDHDEA
9.) DDFCCCDFDCDHEA
10.) DCDFCCCDFDDHEA
11.) CDFDCCDFDDDHEA
12.) DDDFDCCDFCDHEA
13.) DCDFDDDDFCDCDHEA
14.) CDCDFDDDDFDCDHEA
15.) DDDFCDHDDCDFCDDHEA
16.) DDCDFCDDHDDDFCDHEA
17.) DCDFDCDHCEA
18.) CDDFCDDHCEA
19.) DDDFDDDHCEA
20.) DCDFCHDCDEA
21.) CDFDCDHDDIEA
22.) DDFDCDHCDIEA
23.) DDFCDDHDDIEA
24.) CCDFDDDHDDIEA
25.) DDFDDDHCCDIEA
26.) DFDCDHCCDIEA
27.) CCDFDCDHDIEA
28.) DFCDHDIEA
29.) DDIFDCDFCCCDHEA
30.) DCDIFDDFCCCDHEA
31.) CCCDIFDCDIFDDHEA
32.) CFDCCDFDCCDHEA

Translation Notes

The first thing to note is that the symbol B (i.e., the unary digit) does not appear anywhere on the page.  Instead, each statement uses the symbols C and D (i.e., the binary digits).  Two new symbols are introduced which are H and I.  Using our knowledge of the previous pages it should be relatively easy to figure out what these two new symbols mean.  Taking line #1 we have DCD followed by F followed by CD followed by H followed by DD followed by E.  We can translate this as:

5, 2 H 3 =    or    5 H 2 = 3

Clearly the symbol H represents subtraction.  The symbol I first appears in line #21 which has CD followed by F followed by DCD followed by H followed by DD followed by I followed by E.  We can translate this as:

2, 5 - 3 I =    or    2 - 5 = 3 I

Clearly the symbol I represents the unary minus sign.  It comes after the integer 3 to indicate that the number is negative.  The complete translation of line #21 is:

2 - 5 = -3

Lines #17, #18, #19, and #32 demonstrate that a number subtracted from itself equals zero.  The complete English translation of page #4 is as follows:

  1.) 5 - 2 = 3
  2.) 5 - 3 = 2
  3.) 6 - 3 = 3
  4.) 7 - 4 = 3
  5.) 7 - 3 = 4
  6.) 5 - 1 = 4
  7.) 5 - 4 = 1
  8.) 2 - 1 = 1
  9.) 3 = 8 - 5
10.) 5 = 8 - 3
11.) 2 = 9 - 7
12.) 7 = 9 - 2
13.) 5 = 15 - 10
14.) 10 = 15 - 5
15.) 7 - 2 = 11 - 6
16.) 11 - 6 = 7 - 2
17.) 5 - 5 = 0
18.) 6 - 6 = 0
19.) 7 - 7 = 0
20.) 5 - 0 = 5
21.) 2 - 5 = -3
22.) 3 - 5 = -2
23.) 3 - 6 = -3
24.) 4 - 7 = -3
25.) 3 - 7 = -4
26.) 1 - 5 = -4
27.) 4 - 5 = -1
28.) 1 - 2 = -1
29.) -3 = 5 - 8
30.) -5 = 3 - 8
31.) -8 = -5 - 3
32.) 0 = 9 - 9

Dictionary So Far

Symbol

Frequency Shift

Meaning
A 84.7 Hz Statement terminator
B 100.7 Hz Unary digit (BB is 2, BBB is 3, etc.)
C 119.8 Hz Binary digit 0 (most significant digit on the right)
D 142.4 Hz Binary digit 1 (most significant digit on the right)
E 169.4 Hz Equals sign
F 201.5 Hz Number separator
G 239.6 Hz Addition
H 284.9 Hz Subtraction
I 338.8 Hz Unary minus sign (negative numbers)

 

Concepts Learned on Page #4

Symbol H is the minus sign (subtraction)
Symbol I is the unary minus sign (negative numbers)
Subtraction is not commutative (X - Y and Y - X do not equal the same thing)
Concept of zero (a number subtracted from itself equals zero)