The number following each letter inclusive of a word, represents the position of the said letter in the said word.

For example, the first coded word in the title is "r3m1e4o2", and accordingly r,m,e and o respectively assumes the 3rd position, 1st position, 4th position and the 2nd position in the word, so that the decoded version of the word is "more".

Proceeding in a similar manner, we obtain the title and the problem text as follows:

Title : More adding

Problem Text: "What is two plus three?"

Clearly, the answer to the decoded version of the query posited in the problem text is "five".

The letters preceding f,i,v,e can be any permutation of (1,2,3,4) with the exception of (1,2,3,4)itself, since that is the natural position of the four letters in the word.

Also, the occurance of the letters f,i,v and e can be in any arbitrary order except in the exact order f,i,v,e.

Consequently, there would be many feasible answers in terms of the said permutations, and one of the possible answers is indeed "I2E4V3F1". 

Edited on November 8, 2008, 1:18 am

Posted by K Sengupta on 2008-11-08 00:56:37