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This puzzle is part of the Monthly Topic Challenge #2: IQ Puzzle Parody

The puzzle

Fill in one of the answer choices 'C' and 'D' for A, and fill in an answer for B.

Hints:

The triangle is both important and unimportant.

The central points are very important; they are definitely not chosen randomly.

In the last hint, there is an obvious hint and a hidden hint, which is way stronger.

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  • $\begingroup$ I may have underestimated the difficulty of this puzzle... $\endgroup$
    – new QOpenGLWidget
    Aug 6, 2022 at 21:29

2 Answers 2

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A partial answer to point out a significant observation, too long for a comment:

If you adjust the contrast of the image, it becomes clear that there are strings of numbers hidden in the image, written in a font that differs in colour from the background ever so slightly:

Hidden numbers become clear once contrast is adjusted

These strings read (in an order chosen by me for reasons that will soon become clear):

20-18 / 9-19 / 1-18-5 / 6-15-21 / 18-3-15 / 14-14-5-3-20 / 23-15-18 / 4919-6 / 16-9-14-4-20-8-5 / 3-15-14-14-5-3 / 20-9-15-14

If we then...

...convert these numbers to letters via A1Z26, we can move them around to form what looks like a slightly corrupted instruction:

T-R / I-S / A-R-E / F-O-U / R-C-O / N-N-E-C-T / W-O-R / D9S-F / 1F-I-N-D-T-H-E / C-O-N-N-E-C / T-I-O-N

In other words, tri[angle]s are four connect[ed] words - find the connection. With this ordered parsing it is possible then that the next instruction step is to use the triangles' geometry (and those internal points) somehow to extract some hidden words which can be used to see the puzzle through to its conclusion.

Of course, this may not be precisely the OP's intended parsing, but it might give somebody else a pointer on where to take this next...

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  • $\begingroup$ I was literally just writing a partial answer to exactly this effect when I saw the notification that there was a new post. I'm curious where this goes next! $\endgroup$
    – tmpearce
    Aug 9, 2022 at 22:45
  • $\begingroup$ Just an observation: (B?) (C:) and (D:) are all emoticons. B? looks like a serious face, C: is a very happy face, and D: is a very unhappy face. :D $\endgroup$
    – Kingrames
    Aug 10, 2022 at 21:53
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(Probably) partial answer:

The point in diagram A looks like the centroid of the triangle.

The point in diagram B looks like the orthocenter of the triangle.

The point in diagram C looks like the incenter of the triangle.

The point in diagram D looks like the circumcenter of the triangle.

Hence,

I'm tempted to answer D since the median, orthocenter, and circumcenter all lie on the Euler line, while the incenter has no such special relationship, though the puzzle may be more complex than that.

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  • $\begingroup$ Clarification: A and B refer to the missing figures, not the figures above them. $\endgroup$
    – new QOpenGLWidget
    Aug 7, 2022 at 14:36
  • $\begingroup$ @newQOpenGLWidget Is this answer essentially correct but missing the full explanation or should we be taking the instructions in a completely different direction? $\endgroup$
    – Amoz
    Aug 9, 2022 at 2:20
  • $\begingroup$ Well, given that I fundamentally misunderstood the object of the puzzle, I wouldn't say it's "essentially correct". I believe C and D should be placed in positions A and B to create a 2x2 matrix, so my current explanation doesn't hold up. $\endgroup$
    – Auride
    Aug 9, 2022 at 13:47
  • $\begingroup$ rot13(Gur jbeqvat vf pbashfvat; bgure guna lbhe zvfynoryvat, gur nafjre fgvyy znxrf frafr. V tbg nf sne nf @Fgvi tbg, ohg vg frrzf gur '4 jbeqf' pbhyq or gur 4 jbeqf lbh sbhaq (rkprcg zrqvna=pragebvq), naq "Svyy va bar bs gur nafjre pubvprf 'P' naq 'Q' sbe N" pbhyq zrna chg Q va cbfvgvba N gb trg 3 gevnatyrf, naq "svyy va na nafjre sbe O" pbhyq zrna "svaq gur pbaarpgvba naq chg va Q: "Rhyre'f Yvar"". Fb V'q yvxr gb xabj vs gung vf jnl bss genpx be abg.) $\endgroup$
    – Amoz
    Aug 9, 2022 at 22:07
  • $\begingroup$ Ok, so when I was making this, I thought I was really 'clever' and 'qute'. But you and Stiv are actually pretty close to the final answer now, though there are 1 or 2 more steps you need to take. $\endgroup$
    – new QOpenGLWidget
    Aug 10, 2022 at 0:13

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