# Who has more? Ireland or Iceland?

China has three more than Chile

Algeria has two more than Nigeria

Ireland has _____ more than Iceland. Or other way around?

How many and why?

This is also a clue to the previous puzzle

" What world is he talking about?"

HINT

It is the way you write it

• Why only focus on handwriting? There are other ways.......
– DrD
Mar 8, 2019 at 14:44
• Sure, but I'd ruled them out first. Wrongly, obviously. Mar 8, 2019 at 14:58
• I thought this might be something to do with Serif fonts but can't seem to make that work :( Mar 8, 2019 at 15:05
• FONT is the right track.
– DrD
Mar 8, 2019 at 15:08

One way to count these differences is using

Seven-segment display the font:

Using this to count the

Number of lit-up segments: $$N = 5, A = 6, L = 3, E = 5, I = 2, R = 6, C = 4$$

a) China has three more than Chile: $$N + A = 11, L + E = 8$$
b) Algeria has two more than Nigeria: $$A + L = 9, N + I = 7$$
c) Ireland has two more than Iceland: $$R = 6, C = 4$$

• Seeing your answer, I thought 'why did I not think of that?' and then I figured the answer is that this puzzle is supposed to be a hint to the previous one by DEEM, for which I'd already ruled out this method. But still, good one (+1)! Mar 8, 2019 at 16:16
• @ArnaudMortier, we have the same conclusion as to who has more, and I think they are not unrelated. I still don't know what Grandpa is counting in the previous one.
– Tom
Mar 8, 2019 at 16:23
• that's not a seven segment display!
– JMP
Mar 8, 2019 at 19:27
• @JonMarkPerry That's not any kind of X-segment display. It's clearly a font designed to look like one, but no segmented display I've ever seen would have the split top line (as seen in the 'M') and a solid top line for all the other letters, since the segments cannot overlap. The shortened middle line in the 'G', the diagonals in the 'K' and 'R', and the cross-piece on the 'Q' are also all incorrect for the same reason. Mar 8, 2019 at 21:33
• @smci the G, K, Q and R could be 16-segment but the diagonals are in the wrong places and/or bars the wrong length. The M is the only proper 16-segment. The rest are 7-segment (the horizontal bars are not paired). Mar 9, 2019 at 8:40

We have

$$CHINA=CHILE+3\implies NA=LE+3$$ $$ALGERIA=NIGERIA+2\implies AL=NI+2$$

Putting these together gives

$$A+A=E+I+5$$ meaning that $$E+I$$ is odd. This gives the idea of letting one vertical or horizontal stroke count for $$1$$, and $$2$$ for a slanted stroke, then $$N=1+2+1$$, $$I=1$$, $$A=2+2+1$$, and all equations are satisfied.

Now

ICELAND vs IRELAND means that we need to compare C and R. Now R is basically an inverted C, plus one vertical and one horizontal stroke.

Therefore

Ireland has three more than Iceland. (Yay! Shamrocks always win!)

• Definitely +1 for th great thought process
– DrD
Mar 8, 2019 at 19:14

Answering the "Or other way round?" part, referring to the answer from @Tom

R is not a seven-segment letter but r is, so Ireland is two less not two more than Iceland.