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It was a normal Tuesday at the superconductor, until a bug in the system created a small situation.
这是超导体实验室的一个普通星期二，但一个系统漏洞造成一个突发小状况。
Now your team is trapped in eleven separate pocket dimensions.
你的团队被困在11个单独的空间维度里。
Luckily for you, there's a half-finished experimental teleportation robot
幸运的是，有一个实验性远距传送机器人半成品，
that may be able to get you all home, if you can figure out how to work through the quirks of its design.
若能弄懂其古怪设计和如何操控，它可能会把你们送回家。
Over interdimensional radio, your engineers explain that
你的工程师通过跨维无线电解释说，
the robot can teleport into the alternate universes you're trapped in, but it'll do so completely at random.
机器人可以随机穿越到你们被困的另一个宇宙。
The robot has two levers and one big button.
机器人有两个控制杆和一个大按钮。
When it appears, you just switch the position of one of the levers from A to B or vice versa,
当它出现时，你只需切换任意一个控制杆的位置，从A到B，或从B到A，
and then the robot will note your dimensional position and teleport to another of the eleven dimensions at random.
机器人就会记住你所在的维度位置，并随机穿越到11个空间维度中的一个。
If it shows up again, you'll have to pull a lever before it'll teleport away.
若它再次出现，你必须变换控制杆的位置，它才会离开。
When anyone presses the button, the robot will bring everyone who pulled a lever back home.
当有人按下按钮时，机器人会把曾拉动控制杆的人全带回家。
Anyone who didn't will be lost in the multi-verse forever.
而没有拉过控制杆的人，将会永远迷失在多元宇宙中。
The challenge is to make sure everyone has pulled a lever before anyone hits the button.
挑战在于，如何在按下按钮前，确保每个人都拉了控制杆。
While you can talk to each other now over the interdimensional radio and agree on a plan,
虽然你现在可以用跨维无线电互相交谈，并一起制定方案，
the robot's teleportation technology will interfere with all attempts at communication once it arrives.
但机器人一旦抵达，其远程传送技术会干扰所有的通信。
You won't be able to attach messages to the robot or scratch notes into its superstrong alloy body.
你无法在机器人身上附加消息，也不能在其超强的合金体上刻字。
Your only way to communicate information is to change the position of exactly one lever or hit the button.
你们沟通的唯一方式，就是改变一个控制杆的位置或按下按钮。
What plan will make sure everyone gets home?
什么样的计划将确保每人都能回家呢？
It would be nice if you could set different combinations of the levers to indicate who's already been visited by the robot.
用控制杆的位置组合来代表机器人访问过谁，是个不错的主意。
But it has only two levers. That gives four combinations -- far too few to communicate about 11 people,
但它只有两个控制杆，即仅有四种组合——组合太少了，无法代表11人，
especially when you're forced to flip one to send the robot onward. There must be another way.
特别是你必须用掉一个组合，才能让机器人去其他人那里。肯定有另外一种方式。
The critical insight is that not everyone has to know when every pocket dimension has been visited.
解题关键在于，并非每个人都必须了解哪些空间维度已被访问过。
If one person accepts responsibility ahead of time for hitting the button, then only they need to know who the robot has visited.
如果某人提前接受按下按钮的任务，那么，只需他知道机器人访问过谁即可。
In fact, they don't even need to know exactly who's been visited... just how many people have been.
其实，他甚至无须知道机器人去过谁那里...只需知道去过多少人那里即可。
You volunteer to be the person in charge of pressing the button when the moment is right, and give the following directions to everyone else.
你主动承担了任务，在一切就绪的时候按下按钮的任务，并给其他人下达如下的指示。
Your plan is simple: you'll use the left lever to count visits,
你的计划很简单：用左控制杆来计算访问次数，
and the right lever will have no meaning, so there's no harm in moving it up or down.
而右控制杆没有任何用处，所以，移动右控制杆位置无所谓。
Each of the others will pull the left lever from position A to position B exactly once.
其他每个人都会拉动左控制杆，从位置A到位置B，仅一次。
If the robot appears with the left lever already pulled down,
若机器人出现时左控制杆已拉到B，
or if an individual has previously pulled the left lever down at any point in the past, then they should move the right lever.
或某人已在先前某时把左控制杆拉到B位置，这时，他们应该移动右控制杆的位置。
You, meanwhile, will be the only one who ever resets the left lever from position B to position A.
而你，才是唯一重置左控制杆的人，从位置B重置到A。
This gives you a way to count how many people have been visited by the robot.
这就提供了计算被机器人访问过的人数的方法。
Everyone needs to pull the left lever down exactly once, and you're the only one to pull it back up.
每个人只需将左控制杆拉到B位置1次，而你是唯一能将位置重置回A的人。
So you know that the tenth time the robot visits you with its left lever in the down position, it must have visited all ten of the others.
所以，当机器人第十次拜访你、且左控制杆处于下方位置B时，你就知道，它已访问过其他所有人了。
And that means you're safe to press the button and teleport everyone home.
也意味着，你可以安全地按下按钮，传送每人回家。
It may take a while -- most likely the robot will need to teleport around 355 times; but better that than leave anyone behind.
这可能需要一段时间--很可能机器人要传送约355次；但总比留下任何一个人要好。
Your teammates phase back into your home dimension one at a time. The mission proves a great success. Well... mostly.
你的队友依次回到你们家所在的维度空间，任务圆满完成。嗯...理论上如此。
