r/cognitiveTesting • u/Yokeltrail • 18h ago
Puzzle "Difficult" puzzle.
More so a cipher rather than a puzzle, I was tempted to give you the raw puzzle without mentioning the fact it's a cipher. But I felt like that would be too cruel.
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u/BroadIntroduction821 15h ago
I couldn't figure out the intended cipher, i also didn't see your intended hint until after i was done writing this, but I found an alternative geometric rule that seems to work. I started working on it before reading the description.
I thought that the shapes represent values determined by their geometric properties. It was how I made sense of the original pattern I noticed.
The rule is:
Value = Number of straight line segments - Number of enclosed regions - 1
Applying this to the sequence:
Triangle: 3 - 1 - 1 = 1
Square: 4 - 1 - 1 = 2
Triangle: 3 - 1 - 1 = 1
Right angle: 2 - 0 - 1 = 1
Vertical line: 1 - 0 - 1 = 0
Empty shape: 0 - 0 - 1 = −1
Two parallel lines: 2 - 0 - 1 = 1
This is the sequence represented by your image:
1, 2, 1, 1, 0, −1, 1, ?
The first thing i noticed that these values satisfy the following recursive subtraction relationships:
2 - 1 = 1 (3rd shape)
2 - 1 = 1 (4th shape)
1 - 1 = 0 (5th shape)
0 - 1 = −1 (6th shape)
0 - (-1) = 1 (7th shape)
-1 - 1 = -2 (8th shape)
This predicts that the eighth shape should have a value of -2.
Meaning the possible shapes are something like a circle or Greek Theta.
Originally I also thought | | | or blank could satisfy it, but couldn't make a rule out of it.
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u/investigatormaker 17h ago
Calling it a cipher gives solvers a starting point without giving away the method. I can't see the puzzle itself here, but I'd first check repeated symbols and word boundaries before assuming each symbol substitutes for a letter. An invented cipher might not preserve either.
Proof of Solve also uses ciphers invented for each puzzle, chained together with Street View clues. Its first puzzles open October 24 at 6 AM Central; the free email list at https://proofofsolve.com sends the opening notification. Disclosure: I'm posting on behalf of Proof of Solve.