Help please

(number of positions on dial) to the power of (number of wheels).

There are a few other isssues depending on details of lock manufacture, which may remove some of those theoretical combinations from those which can practically be used... but this is the correct answer for gaming purposes.

Whether that matters depends on how they're trying to open it, and I'm not about to go into more detail on that topic.

ok, just in case anyone is unsure of what I'm asking, if I were to try every combination with the numbers givens for a 3 number lock, then try again but with a 4 number lock, how many different combinations would there be? IE: 1-1-1, 1-1-2, 1-1-3, and so on for the 3 digits, then

there is 2 other factors that limit the thing, that you do not and we cannot guess..

a 3 number lock would be, 60 * 60 * say 40, due to the dead zone on the last number..(the certain area that you CANNOT use, due to the lock design) to THIS number, you must subtract ALL the same number.. meaning the combo cant be 1 1 1, or 2 2 2 so, subtract 60 anyway..

for the 4 its 60 cubed times the again 40, - the again 60..

HUGE possibility..

--Shiva--

x n where n is the number of possible numbers for any place in the combo and x is the number of digits in the combo.

Uhm. It _shouldn't_ be (on mechanical locks, anyway). But there's nothing actively preventing someone from doing that to themselves.

There's also a rule of thumb that exact multiples of five should usually be avoided, because they tend to be among the first numbers folks will try. But folks can violate that rule too, if they really want to do so.

You've been answered. Think of it as a three-digit or four-digit number in base 60.

true... had the inner door of a VERY old big safe.. a ton or better.. that HAD to be opened... unknown combo..

was a 4 number Yale OB? did not want to drill due to how good a shape and shiny everything still was, so made a mental agreement to try manipulate it.. laying down on the floor, did some things, and got a reading.. but no OTHER.. played for 30 minutes, just to make sure,, and then got disgusted, turned the dial.. $#^#$# thing opened..

set to 11 5 times right to 11, and turn opposite to open.. hand change wheels too..

agree. in ANY case, he has a LOT of numbers to play with..

--Shiva--

Not an uncommon trick for a safe that you're taking out of service; the classic is "5 times to 50".

And he's gotten a good illustration of why folks don't normally open safes by exhaustive search through the combination space.

The theoretical answer would be to multiply 59 once for each wheel.

Three wheel would be 59 x 59 x 59 = (and I'm not near my calculator).

Four wheel would be 59 x 59 x 59 x 59 =

The reality is that it's fewer than that number of combinations by maybe 10 to 20%. But the folks who wrote the trivia game likely don't know that.

Wrong. The right answer has been given already I don't even know how many times and you still manage to post something erroneous.

"where the dial numbers go from 0 to 59 " would be 60 possible numbers. so it's: