The puzzle below is quite challenging, and therefore the solver who rises above all others to first discover the solution is likely to feel {BOLD ANSWER}.
Hint #1: I had intended the first “D” in equation #1 to be in a non-bolded red, but I forgot to do it when I posted the puzzle. That may not help the solver much, but for the overall layout of the puzzle a red “D” seems appropriate.
Hint #2: The mathematics in the puzzle is meant partly to confuse, and partly to enlighten.
Using a red crayon, Change the first letter of #1 to a red letter, as mentioned above.
I should have numbered the equations differently, I think. Using a sharp pencil, scratch out numbers 1 thru 19. Now, number the first equation"29", the second equation “28” and on down until the last equation is numbered “11”.
Using a green crayon, change the last letter, the “N” in the final equation(#11), to a green letter. This letter is also not bolded.
For now, pay little or no attention to the math, only start thinking about it later when it suddenly makes sense.
Study the coded letters using standard cryptogram solving techniques. While this is obviously not a standard cryptogram, some thought-provoking information can be garnered by pretending that it is. Do you now see anything especially unusual. What? Why might the oddity or oddities occur?
You begin this puzzle, strangely enough, quite far along, heightwise. Do not despair if you have already tried this puzzle and failed. Many successes are not achieved without previous failures.
I haven’t made sense of the hints yet, but I have the bold answer and am prepared to think backwards. Now I’m going out to play in the sunshine, but I’ll get back to you this evening.
It’s a winding trail with many ups and downs and back-and-forths, but my expedition has made it to the top, which is to say that I have the bold answer and the main text. I note that two of the minus signs are hyphens and one is a dash. It appears that the rest of the operators are dummies, but I’m intrigued by the way the totals work out in the cipher. If we use the number of characters as the value of each term (including &), then of course each individual equation is incorrect. But if we add all the values in each column, treating the parenthetical expressions in the usual way and noting the sign of (-AOC), the result is the correct equation 82-76+94=100. I don’t see how you could have done that on purpose given the constraints of your format, but it seems too tidy for coincidence. In any case, it served for several days to obscure my way as effectively as swirling wind-driven snow and mist.
It’s great to be able to look up and see you on top again! I hope many others will follow along soon.
As to the math coincidence… it looks like we have another one of those “Mysteries of the Unexplained” on our hands. (Sort of like the previous puzzle, #75, — which appears to have been a wash-out…)
I somehow managed to miss #75 entirely! I also failed to notice its absence between #74 and #76. I see now that it was a night-before-Sunday-Morning-Puzzle, and it must have dropped off my radar before I got up that morning.