# Ever more is never enough

A certain USA celebrity tweeted a cryptarithm, which includes a cipher with an encrypted clue, for friends in a nearby country.

$$\begin{array}{r} \qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\quad~~ \tt M \, O \, R \, E ~\\[-1ex] \tt M \, O \, R \, E ~\\[-1ex] \tt M \, O \, R \, E ~\\[-1ex] \tt M \, O \, R \, E ~\\[-1ex] \tt E \, V \, E \, R ~\\[-1ex] \tt +\, M \, O \, R \, E ~\\[.5ex] \hline \end{array} \\ 13.15 - \frac{18}{19.5} + 0.0 + \cdots + \frac3{15} - \frac45 + \cdots$$

What did he or she want and how much?

Post-solution note

The core encryption idea here is from @question_asker, who let me run with it and promised not to solve this. Anyone seen this system used before?

• Is there an answer that doesn't include fractions? – Daedric Feb 18 '16 at 8:09
• No actual fractions involved, @Daedric, just looks like it – humn Feb 18 '16 at 8:12
• uhh. I'm kinda new to these, but how am I supposed to figure out the answer with all the "..."s in the math solution. Wouldn't that affect the puzzle in some way? – Nyk 232 Feb 18 '16 at 17:12
• Good for zeroing in on the "..."s, @Nyk232, which are crucial but made to look like something different than what they really mean. – humn Feb 18 '16 at 17:18
• uhhmm. are the decimal places supposed to be letters, too, or are they just for show? – Nyk 232 Feb 18 '16 at 21:00

She wants

17,909 (Mexican) pesos

If you consider each of the numbers below the horizontal line as a letter (A=1, B=2, etc.), you get

$M.O - \frac{R}{S.E} + 0.0 + \cdots + \frac{C}{O} - \frac{D}{E} + \cdots$
(MORSE CODE)

Taking that as a clue, and looking at the dots and dashes on that line (decimal points, ellipses, minus signs, fraction dividers), you get

$\cdot - - \cdot \quad \cdot \quad \cdots \quad - - - \quad \cdots$
$\quad P \quad \quad E \quad S \quad \quad \;\; O \quad \quad \; \; S$

This gives you the alphametic

$$\begin{array}{r} \qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\quad~~\tt M \, O \, R \, E ~\\[-1ex]\tt M \, O \, R \, E ~\\[-1ex]\tt M \, O \, R \, E ~\\[-1ex]\tt M \, O \, R \, E ~\\[-1ex]\tt E \, V \, E \, R ~\\[-1ex]\tt +\, M \, O \, R \, E ~\\[.5ex]\hline\tt P\, E \, S \, O \, S ~\\[-1ex] \end{array}\\$$

which can be solved as

$$\begin{array}{r} \qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\quad~~\tt 2 \, 0 \, 4 \, 7 ~\\[-1ex]\tt 2 \, 0 \, 4 \, 7 ~\\[-1ex]\tt 2 \, 0 \, 4 \, 7 ~\\[-1ex]\tt 2 \, 0 \, 4 \, 7 ~\\[-1ex]\tt 7 \, 6 \, 7 \, 4 ~\\[-1ex]\tt +\, 2 \, 0 \, 4 \, 7 ~\\[.5ex]\hline\tt 1\, 7 \, 9 \, 0 \, 9 ~\\[-1ex] \end{array}\\$$

• this makes the most sense to me based on the OP's clues in the comments. I was stuck on how to use the mathematical signs, but I guess they were just there for show... – Nyk 232 Feb 18 '16 at 21:40
• wait...you say A=1, B=2, ..., but then in the equation, you substitute 7 for E, not 5. Why is that? – Nyk 232 Feb 18 '16 at 21:42
• @Nyk232 A=1, B=2 only applies to decrypting the hint (the stuff below the horizontal line). After I've determined the alphametic (fourth spoiler block), I solve that to determine a value for each of the letters. – GentlePurpleRain Feb 18 '16 at 21:44
• alright, I think I get how these things work now. – Nyk 232 Feb 18 '16 at 21:47
• Omg, I thought of morse but didn't capitalize on it. – Daedric Feb 19 '16 at 8:24

I think she wants

Forever more

Because

There are 4 mores, making "for" as it sounds like "four". Then just finish the statement.

• Love it. Even makes sense with this puzzle's title and is good idea for another puzzle! This one, though, has more more in a different vein. – humn Feb 18 '16 at 9:25
• you read 'forever more' and i read 'for more ever more'.. :p – manshu Feb 18 '16 at 9:47
• @manshu well. I read fourever more :P – MisterBla Feb 18 '16 at 9:49

This is just a partial answer, of course, but I think it's actually

something that's forever.

If you look at the words, you can see that you get

"four more" and "ever more"

which can be combined to form

"former" and "evermore"

Now, if we take a look at the last 2 numbers in the sequence, we see that

One has a 3 divided by (5*3), and the other has 4/5.

Since we have two words, and "more is common enough", lets

substitute "more" for 5, and then apply the fractions to the words from earlier. If you subtract the last three letters from "former", you get "for". IF you do the same with the last four letters from "evermore", you get "ever."

Now, in most games like battleship, two letters joined with a dash reference a row and column, and can be combined together.

Thus, we end up with the word "forever", and the fact that "MORE" and 5 are somehow related.

• Just tell me if I'm on the other side of the coast with this one. I doubt I'm in the ballpark anymore. – Nyk 232 Feb 18 '16 at 17:48
• Very creative and another(!) idea for a good puzzle. I don't have a chance at the moment to fully appreciate this answer beyond seeing that it goes in a direction that will probably miss 2/3 of this puzzle. – humn Feb 18 '16 at 17:52
• Well, 1/3rd is a lot better than I thought, so I'll take what little winnings I have and bid out now. :) – Nyk 232 Feb 18 '16 at 18:12