Physical Zero-Knowledge Proof for Ripple Effect

TL;DR

This paper introduces a physical zero-knowledge proof protocol for the Ripple Effect puzzle, enabling proof of solution knowledge without revealing the actual solution, using a deck of cards.

Contribution

It presents the first physical zero-knowledge proof protocol tailored for the Ripple Effect puzzle, expanding the application of card-based cryptographic protocols.

Findings

Protocol effectively verifies that a number does not appear in a list segment.

Enables proof of solution knowledge without revealing the solution.

Uses simple physical components like a deck of cards.

Abstract

Ripple Effect is a logic puzzle where the player has to fill numbers into empty cells in a rectangular grid. The grid is divided into rooms, and each room must contain consecutive integers starting from 1 to its size. Also, if two cells in the same row or column contain the same number $x$, there must be a space of at least $x$ cells separating the two cells. In this paper, we develop a physical zero-knowledge proof for the Ripple Effect puzzle using a deck of cards, which allows a prover to convince a verifier that he/she knows a solution without revealing it. In particular, given a secret number $x$ and a list of numbers, our protocol can physically verify that $x$ does not appear among the first $x$ numbers in the list without revealing $x$ or any number in the list.