The most realistic puzzle (Hard mode)! (SOLVED)

[TheWaaagh]

I don't mean to be patronizing myself but infinity - 1 has precisely the same value as infinity. In fact, you can perform any operation on an infinite set with a finite number and it will remain infinite, because there will still exist a bijective function that connects it to its original set, thus it has the same cardinality. Infinite sets (and thus, an infinite number) are nonintuitive in that way. Also, infinite does not mean all encompassing; a subset of an infinite set can still have an infinite number of elements. Oh, the curiosities of mathematics.

Anyways, there wouldn't be an infinite amount of solutions, but there would be an inordinate amount, and there would be no clear logical path that one could take to narrow it down beyond complete shots in the dark. Comparatively, this type of puzzle is supposed to have some chain of logic which can lead one person from the statement to the answer. That's what makes it a lateral thinking puzzle - the fact that there IS a way to deduce the answer through careful questioning and not merely guessing.

Well I have to thank you, I haven't taken a math class in quite some time so reading up on what exactly a cardinality was was interesting at least. I'll admit I still don't fully understand that so point goes to you, but I still can't get around how one goes about proving the hypothesis that "a puzzle can have any solution" by answering "no" to any question. That was, after all, his entire goal. If he had answered "yes" or "irrelevant" to every question, then the people attempting to solve this puzzle would have been able to more proactively guess that there was no correct answer. Instead, he baited people in the beginning by answering no to some questions and yes to others, which as it turns out in the end was completely random on his part. This led people to believe that there was a specifically correct answer that he had in his mind.

Also, you said yourself that this puzzle is supposed to have some chain of logic which can lead one person from the statement to the answer. And this one didn't. So I guess we're arguing the same thing, now?

[Doc]

OK I've read your mathematical debate and am happy that I at least grabbed the attention of some people. I never contradicted myself and the "A man looked at his cellphone"/ and the "(a man) died" could have happened years apart, since the act of dying is just ONE quality that was attributed to the man, as well as the action of looking at his cellphone. I probably expressed myself wrongly just now. Thanks for the congrats. By the way, the reason I didn't get full points for my paper was because I failed to see that, if a puzzle can have any solution it isn't unsolvable but rather easily solvable (in a way) since there are many correct answers. But I'm still happy! Cheers!

[Doc]

And by the way- you have convinced me to post the super hard riddle. But I'm going to the netherlands this weekened, I'll be posting it on tuesday or so. I'm going to have to write another thesis for it, but this time a way smaller one (like 1 page)...