Wording of hints

[br14nh]

While I love the challenge of these puzzles, I'm unhappy with the wording of some hints.

This applies to two types in particular - the use of the phrase "Pseudo-true pairing" and the "Multiple greater than/less than" clues.

I look to using the information in hints as a learning exercise, and these clues haven't helped me in this regard.

I don't know whether the phrase "pseudo-true pairing" is a well-known phrase in puzzle circles, but it didn't make much sense to me linguistically. I would prefer the term "exclusive pair" as to me, as I believe it would be more readily understood (from digital logic operations as I know it from an electronics perspective). At least I was able to make use of this information once I worked out what it meant.

The hint that really leaves me stuck is when it just makes a reference to there being Multiple greater than/less than clues for items in the same category, with basic information about the item involved, but then giving the outcome without explicitly going through the specific steps to get there.

There are a number of puzzles where I have sat for quite some time trying to see how the hint has been applied but in almost all of these cases, I can't see the actual logic steps being applied and therefore am unable to learn from the information provided.

I really look to the hints not for solving the puzzle so much as being able to educate me and if they can't do that, then they're not much use to me.

I understand this may be the result or limitation of how the software producing the hints operates but PLEASE consider including specific solving steps in the hints where a "Multiple greater than/less than" situation is being referred to.

Thanks,
Brian

[JoshGrams]

Hrm. I always forget what needs approval and what doesn't. What if I add the tutorial link using the separate link button? I don't even remember how you're supposed to find it on the site normally...

[JoshGrams]

There we go. Those clues are explained better in the tutorial, but for the quick idea:

Pseudo-true pairing means that two options are in the same two slots, so you know nothing else can be in those slots. If Bob can only pay either $10 or $15, and so does Fred, then you don't know which is which, but you know that $10 is taken up by one of them, and $15 is taken up by the other, so no other people can have those prices.

Multiple greater-than/less-than clues are (I think) the one about different distances from items in the same category? So if the TV cost $5 more than Fred's item, and the blue item cost $5 more than Bob's item... you know the TV and the blue appliance are different items, because if they were the same, then Fred and Bob would have paid the same price and thus be the same person, and they're not.

[br14nh]

There we go. Those clues are explained better in the tutorial, but for the quick idea:

Pseudo-true pairing means that two options are in the same two slots, so you know nothing else can be in those slots. If Bob can only pay either $10 or $15, and so does Fred, then you don't know which is which, but you know that $10 is taken up by one of them, and $15 is taken up by the other, so no other people can have those prices.

Thanks Josh, I came to terms with the concept but I still don't like the wording - I think it's unnecessarily obscure. To me. the word exclusive carries the meaning far more clearly.

Multiple greater-than/less-than clues are (I think) the one about different distances from items in the same category? So if the TV cost $5 more than Fred's item, and the blue item cost $5 more than Bob's item... you know the TV and the blue appliance are different items, because if they were the same, then Fred and Bob would have paid the same price and thus be the same person, and they're not.

Thanks again for the explanation, I do understand the principle and have gone through the tutorial and I can generally do this in most cases. However, I have run across several examples where trying to map out the clues as you've referred to above and with other available alternative options on the puzzle, the puzzle doesn't appear to support the conclusion given in the hint. Even when I map it out on a bit of paper I'm still left scratching my head in those cases.

That's why I would hope the hints could provide more detail of the exact situation being referred to - just as you've done in your example.

Cheers,
Brian