Solve the 'Open the Lock' Puzzle That Has Internet Puzzled

From time to time, various riddles and puzzles come back from wherever they go once they are forgotten, and continue to puzzle everyone while being shared with dubious claims such as “only geniuses can solve this” or “only 1% can solve this” across all social media. Whether only geniuses can solve it or not, they are still fun to meddle with.

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This week one such logic riddle spread across social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, and through family WhatsApp groups.

Saw this puzzle from a friend.

What's the correct combination? ? pic.twitter.com/2Z0nzBlu8K
— Eri Neeman (@erineeman) March 30, 2020

So yes, we have a number lock with a 3 digit code. Can you crack the code from the following hints?

682: One digit is right and in its place
614: One digit is right but in the wrong place
206: Two digits are right but both are in the wrong place
738: All digits are wrong
380: One digit is right but in the wrong place

Give this a try, and when you're ready, keep on reading for the solution.

Whether you couldn't solve it or if you just want to skip to the correct answer, let's just lay out the basics first!

Solve the 'Open the Lock' Puzzle That Has Internet Puzzled — *Source: Interesting Engineering*

Clue 4: 738 (All digits are wrong)

We start here since it takes 7, 3, and 8 out of the combination. This gives us some groundwork and navigates us to the next clue where 3 and 8 are present.

Clue 5: 380 (One digit is right but in the wrong place)

We know from the previous clue that 3 and 8 are wrong, which makes 0 the right digit. But the clue tells us that it is in the wrongs place, which means 0 can be in either first or second place.

Clue 3: 206 (Two digits are right but both are in the wrong place)

We already know that 0 is the right digit, which means either 2 or 6 is right. Since this slue states that the two right digits are in the wrong place, we now know that the second place is the wrong place for 0.

Moreover, we know that 0 cannot be placed in the third place too. This gives us our first definitive answer, and now, we can say that 0 is placed in the first place.

Clue 1: 682 (One digit is right and in its place)

This clue sheds light on whether 6 is correct or not since we couldn't figure it out on Clue 3. In this case, 6 is placed in the first position, which we know is the position of 0. Automatically, this makes 6 wrong, and 2 becomes the correct one.

Clue 2: 614 (One digit is right but in the wrong place)

At this point, no one can stop us. We already know that 6 is not right, and 1 and 4 are our prime suspects. When we look at 4, we see that it is in the place of digit 2. So, now know that 4 is wrongly placed, and according to this clue, one digit is right but it is at the wrong place. Which is why 4 goes to the second place.

Thus, the code is...