Owlet puzzle #117
Released Friday, October 30, 2026 UTC
256
the answer for puzzle #117
The five clues
- A three-digit multiple of thirty-two.
- A power of two: 2⁸.
- The number of distinct byte values.
- Equal to 2⁸ = 4⁴ = 16².
- Its base-16 representation is 100.
Backstory
256 = 2⁸ = 4⁴ = 16². A byte's full value space, and one of the neatest towers of powers: it is a perfect square, a fourth power, and an eighth power simultaneously. The Playing Cards deck plus jokers has 54 members; 256 exceeds it by roughly 4.7×, which is why cryptographic keys often use 256 bits.
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