Why the keys have to outnumber the messages

Every key turns the message list into a ciphertext list without collisions, otherwise decryption fails. Try to arrange the keys so that no ciphertext ever rules a message out. With fewer keys than messages the arrangement does not exist, and the grid shows you why.

 

The scheme

Row k, column m holds Enc(k, m). Click any cell to change it — the clash swaps automatically so each key stays invertible.

How many keys send m to c

Click a column to inspect that ciphertext. Every column sums to |K|, because each key sends exactly one message there.

Posterior after seeing A

Blue is the prior, uniform over messages. Grey is what remains possible.

The counting argument

Why no rearrangement can help.