My zero, one or two special places

Question

A place is a room in a building, a cave, a park etc.

Every person in the world has 0,1 or 2 special places.

The number is dynamic, and can change during the day.

For most people, there are usually two, but sometimes one. Rarely zero.

For some people, there can never be two, only zero or one.

What are your 0, 1 or 2 special places?

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Note: There's one definition of a special place, and it doesn't contain the word "or" (or similar). This is to say, the definition isn't something like "a special place is either X or Y".

Hint: This is a likely sequence of the number of special places a given person has over time:

0, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, ..., 1, 2, 1, 2

Hint 2:

In the first world, almost everyone is in the first group (with mostly 1, 2 places). In the third world you would see a lot more from the second group.

Hint 3:

Strangely enough, there's a group of people that have a very unique sequence of 'number of current special places' and those people are doctors! (not all doctors, but a small subset of them)

Hint 4 (a big one):

If you're in a place (i.e. not outside), it's most likely a special place for you, with rare exceptions.

Hint 5 (also a big one):

The only exception for hint 4 is this: If the place you're in was special for you before you entered it, it will stop being so once you're in it.

Hint 6:

To know if a place is a special place for someone, you need to know the history this person has with this place. You don't need to know their history with other places, nor what are their other special places, nor anything about the person's life outside this place.

Answer 1

Second post. A special room is one for which the

Sum of your entering and exiting it is odd.

Everyone in the world has 0, 1 or 2 special places.

0 only = Born outside of a room and sadly dying before being brought to one.

0 or 1 = Born outside as above and then entering a room for the first time. This person's sequence then goes to 0 when exiting this room. The person may go outside then. Anyway the next time the person enters a room, the same or different, the sequence goes to 1 again.

0, 1 or 2 = Born in a room - could be a maternity room or a home. This counts a 0 before the baby leaves this room - the definition of entering/exiting is crossing the room's boundary - and the first exit through a doorway (or window/tunnel) makes this 1 special room. When the person goes to a different room, the new room brings the count to 2 special rooms. Leaving this room the sequence goes down to 1 again.
This person's sequence is Hint: 0, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, ..., 1, 2, 1, 2. If ends in 2 if the person was born in one room and dies in a different one.

Hint 2: In the first world, almost everyone is in the first group (with mostly 1, 2 places).

In the developed world most people are born in a room, leave this room and visit other rooms. This is common overall and the 0,1 cases are rare but may occur more in an undeveloped location.

Hint 3: A small subset of doctors have an unusual sequence.

Doctors who work in the same hospital they were born in, their sequence can often drop to zero.

Hint 4: If you're in a place (i.e. not outside), it's most likely a special place for you, with rare exceptions.

If you are in a room which is not the one in which you were born it would be a special room.

Hint 5:The only exception for hint 4 is this: If the place you're in was special for you before you entered it, it will stop being so once you're in it.

If you visit the room you were born in.

Hint 6: To know if a place is a special place for someone, you need to know the history this person has with this place.

You need to know if they were born there.

Extra:

I think this works and hope very unusual cases where a room is built around someone doesn't affect it. Cases where say a tornado blows off a room would be OK if counted as a room exit.

First post:

A place is where the person changes state from their current one, i.e. between awake and asleep.

Giving the cases for zero, one and two:

Zero: A person has never and will never sleep - e.g. a newborn baby which dies before sleeping.

One: An awake person who has slept in a place but dies before sleeping again, or a sleeping person who never wakes up.

Two: Most awake people will have slept and will sleep again, if they are sleeping most will wake up.

The number is dynamic, and can change during the day.

A person can have 2 places, then takes a nap during the day but dies later so after waking has only one place.

Answer 2

I think the answer could be:

Feet on the ground. As you will start from 0 in bed, and go from 1 to 2 throughout the day, walking, standing etc. Some people only have one leg/foot or none, this would meet the other requirements.

Answer 3

How about:

Current location and destination? You start out life with neither (unless you wanna get technical). You spend lots of time traveling so have both but there are times when you remain stationary and only have one.

Original answer:

Is it simply:

1 = your home/where you sleep 2 = place of work/school

A place is a room in a building, a cave, a park etc.

Both a home and workplace count as places

Every person in the world has 0,1 or 2 special places.

People may not have a home or a job (though people can have multiple homes or jobs so it doesn't really fit 100%).

The number is dynamic, and can change during the day.

You leave home and go to work and vice versa each day.

For most, there are usually two, but sometimes one. Rarely zero.

Generally people have both a home and job but it is not always the case.

For some, there will never be two, only zero or one.

Some people might never need a job while others prefer a nomadic lifestyle.

Admittedly these are pretty weak but the puzzle itself does seem really vague. I feel like it's lacking that little tidbit of information that clearly defines a single answer.

Answer 4

In the same vein as BreakingMyself's answer, a place could be

the state of 0: lying down, 1: sitting, or 2: standing

A place is a room in a building, a cave, a park etc.

you can lie down, sit or stand in any of these places (a bit of a stretch, but maybe?)

Every person in the world has 0, 1 or 2 special places.

everyone can be in at least one of these states

The number is dynamic, and can change during the day.

you can go from sitting to standing multiple times throughout the day

For most, there are usually two, but sometimes one. Rarely zero.

most people stand for much of the day and sometimes sit, rarely lie down

For some, there can never be two, only zero or one.

some people cannot stand, only sit or lie down.

What are your 0, 1 or 2 special places?

lying down, sitting and standing

Answer 5

Another possibility...

Where you are exposed to the most natural and artificial light.

Every person in the world has 0, 1 or 2 special places:

Zero if you're in solitary confinement, or stuck somewhere with no light. One if you're mostly inside and next to a window, where you'd be receiving the most natural and artificial light. Two, if you both spend some time outdoors and some time indoors, so the places where you absorb the most natural light is different than where you absorb the most artificial light.

The number is dynamic, and can change during the day:

At midnight, you might be in complete darkness, thus start with 0 special places. But when you wake up, you're likely to receive some light, thus where you wake up is your first special place. But if you move to a place with only artificial (or natural) light, then that's your second special place. And it can move back to one special place, if you spend more time in a place where you're receiving both natural and artificial light.

The number is dynamic, and can change during the day / Hint 1:

0: You're in complete darkness at night 1: You wake up to only natural light (Most Natural: Kitchen) 2: You go brush your teeth (Most Natural: Bedroom, Most Artificial: Bathroom) 1: You eat breakfast in a room with window and indoor lights (Most natural and artificial: Kitchen) 2: You drive to work (Most Natural: Car, Most Artificial: Kitchen) 1: You work indoors next to window (Most Natural and Artificial: Workplace)

Hint 2:

Most of us have access to electricity. Some third world places do not have artificial light.

Hint 3:

Doctors are usually indoors, especially radiologists who must be in rooms with no windows.

Hint 4:

If you're not outside, you're likely somewhere with artificial lights.