Puzzle 026 is Mangled Math, a 25-picarat Write Answer puzzle on Pebble Lane, during the Chapter 2 flashback to Hershel Layton's school days in Stansbury. Young Dalston is out on the lane in the evening, and he holds up a crumpled homework sheet covered in half-torn equations. He insists it's "the simplest math problem ever." You write a number on the touch screen.
This page covers story Puzzle 026 in Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask on Nintendo 3DS, in the US and UK English versions. If you're after Daily Puzzle 026 or Puzzle 026 from another Layton game, see Wrong Puzzle 026? below.
What Puzzle 026 is
| Name | Mangled Math (Mangled Maths in the UK English version) |
|---|---|
| Type | Write Answer |
| Picarats | 25 |
| Location | Pebble Lane, Stansbury |
| Chapter | Chapter 2 |
| When | Hershel's school days |
| Given by | Alphonse Dalston, Hershel's classmate |
| Comes after | Puzzle 025, Brave the Caves |
| Comes before | Puzzle 027, That Rings a Bell |
The question reads: "Dalston has posed a math problem to Hershel. It's written on a homework sheet, but it's torn in several places, making it very difficult to read. Dalston smirks as he watches Hershel examine the puzzle. With an air of self-satisfaction, he says, 'Still struggling? But this is the simplest math problem ever!' Can you help Hershel work out the answer to the problem? Write down the number." The objective bar at the top of the touch screen says "Solve the 'simple' problem!"
The sheet holds three lines of working with the letters A and B, and parts of it are ripped away. If you've already tried to solve the equations and got nowhere, that's normal: the game's first hint says pieces are missing and the equations can't be solved as written. The puzzle has three answer boxes.
Puzzle names
The North American version calls it Mangled Math. The UK English version calls it Mangled Maths. The answer is the same in the US and UK English versions.
| Version | Puzzle name |
|---|---|
| North America | Mangled Math |
| UK | Mangled Maths |
| Japanese | 破れたプリント (Yabureta Purinto, "the torn handout") |
The Japanese title is 破れたプリント. The North American version carries a different Japanese label for it, プリントのナゾ.
The puzzle giver is Alphonse Dalston. In this scene the North American game calls him Dalston.
Wrong Puzzle 026?
- Daily Puzzle 026 in Miracle Mask is a different puzzle: Ghouls and Guards 03, a mirror puzzle. It has nothing to do with homework.
- Puzzle 026 in another Layton game is a different puzzle. If yours doesn't show a torn homework sheet, you're in the wrong game.
- Puzzle 027, That Rings a Bell, is the next puzzle in Chapter 2. It's a different puzzle at Ascot House.
Where you get it
Puzzle 026 comes in Chapter 2, the flashback to Hershel's teenage years in Stansbury. It's late in the day, and on Pebble Lane you run into Dalston. Talk to him and he opens with "Bit late for a stroll, eh, Layton?" After some grumbling about Randall and Angela, he waves the torn sheet at Hershel: "You wanna spend your entire life worrying about old bits of paper like this?!" Then the puzzle starts.
You probably can't leave this one for later. While it's unsolved, trying to head to Memory Knoll gets you stopped with "Oi, Layton! Trying to ignore me? Or can't you see through that mass of hair?" If you quit the puzzle, talking to Dalston again should bring it back.
Pebble Lane has four hint coins, all in the normal view, with no zoomed-in view to search. Two are on the left side of the lane: the water pump, and the bucket near the foot of the wooden signpost. Two are on the right: the barrel, and the cloth hanging high up. Four coins pay for the first three hints, with one left over toward the Super Hint, which costs two.
Hints, one at a time
These follow the game's own hints, in the same order, with a little more explanation. Open only the next one you need. In the game, Hints 1 to 3 cost one hint coin each and the Super Hint costs two.
Hint 1: Can the equations be solved?
Smoothing out the creases won't help. Parts of the equations are missing, so you can't solve them as written. But Dalston is sure it's a simple problem. Would anyone call a page of multiple-variable equations simple? Something else is going on.
Hint 2: Dalston's point of view
Dalston is standing right in front of Hershel, so he's looking at the homework sheet upside down. Why would that make it easier for him? Try turning the sheet upside down yourself and see if anything changes.
Hint 3: Look at the rips
Once the sheet is upside down, maybe Dalston isn't reading the equations at all. The rips in the paper are a strange shape. Could they mean something?
Super Hint: A problem of its own
Look at the sheet upside down and pay attention only to the ripped parts. The game's last hint says they form a math problem of their own, and that it appears to read "17 - 2." A far simpler problem.
Answer and full solution
The answer below covers every step, with a picture of the solved puzzle. Open it when you're ready.
Show the answer
The answer is 15. Turned upside down, the way Dalston sees it, the rips in the paper spell out 17 - 2, and 17 minus 2 is 15. The game's answer text says, "From where Dalston is standing, the torn parts of the page appear to form a much simpler math problem: 17 - 2. The answer, of course, is 15."
Step by step:
- Stop working on the equations. They're incomplete, so they can't give you an answer.
- Look from Dalston's side. He's facing Hershel, so he sees the sheet upside down.
- Read the rips, not the writing. Upside down, the large tear on one side forms 17, the tear in the opposite corner forms 2, and the thin slash between them is the minus sign.
- Work it out. 17 - 2 = 15.
- Write 15 and touch Submit. The game accepts 15, and it also accepts 015.
If your answer keeps failing:
- You solved for A or B. The equations are a red herring. The wrong-answer text only says, "Dalston says it's a simple problem. That can't be right...or can it?"
- You read the rips the right way up. They only look like numbers upside down.
- You added instead of subtracting. The thin slash between the two numbers is a minus sign.
Picarats, hints and hint coins
Mangled Math shows 25 picarats when it starts. The puzzle can award 25, 20 or 15 picarats. Wrong answers may reduce the picarat value. A wrong answer gets "Too bad," with a reminder that Dalston calls it a simple problem. If you try again, Dalston says, "Fine. Have another go. See if I care."
Hints cost hint coins, not picarats. The costs are one coin each for the first three hints and two for the Super Hint, five in total. Pebble Lane's four coins cover the first three hints, plus one of the two coins the Super Hint needs. Or use the free hints on this page and save your coins.
Versions and systems
- Nintendo 3DS, 3DS XL, 2DS and New 3DS: no difference. You write the number on the touch screen with the stylus.
- US and UK English versions: same torn sheet, same answer. The UK English title is Mangled Maths.
The scene around the puzzle
If you quit, Dalston sneers, "Guess I overestimated you, Layton. Can't even finish the kiddie puzzles. Hmph." When you solve it, he says, "Yeah, I figured you were just as puzzle crazy as Ascot. You're a lost cause, Layton. You and Angela both," and adds, "I can't wait until I'm a rich hotel owner so I can laugh at you all from a posh suite!" He mocks the Ascots' servant for carrying their groceries, and Hershel answers, "Henry doesn't seem to mind. It's honest work." Hershel invites him to join Randall, Angela and himself sometime, then heads off with "Anyway, I should go. See you tomorrow!" Your Journal gets a new entry, "Dalston's Late Stroll".
FAQ
Where is the answer to Puzzle 026?
It's in the Answer and full solution section above, hidden until you open it. If you only want a push, open the hints one at a time first.
What is Puzzle 026 called?
Mangled Math in the North American version and Mangled Maths in the UK English version. In Japanese it's 破れたプリント.
Where is Puzzle 026?
On Pebble Lane in Stansbury, during Chapter 2. Talk to Dalston there.
Do I need to solve the equations on the sheet?
No. The game's own hints say parts of them are missing, so they can't be solved. See Hint 2 above for where to look instead.
Can I skip Puzzle 026?
Probably not. While it's unsolved, Dalston stops you when you try to head to Memory Knoll.
How many picarats is Puzzle 026 worth?
It shows 25 picarats when it starts, and that's what you get for a first-try answer. Wrong answers may reduce the picarat value.
Is Daily Puzzle 026 the same as Puzzle 026?
No. Daily Puzzle 026 is Ghouls and Guards 03. Story Puzzle 026 is Dalston's torn homework sheet.
More Miracle Mask puzzles
- Puzzle 001: Stumble's Balloons
- Puzzle 010: The Place to Be!
- Puzzle 013: Ancient Arti-facts
- Puzzle 014: Bite of Bygone Days
- Puzzle 015: Fix the Fossil
- Puzzle 60: Dangerous Holes
- Puzzle 100: Gate to the Ruins!
For the rest of the game's puzzles, see the Miracle Mask puzzle index.