Test calculations

[+Pat in Louisiana]

My iphone has an app Geocaching toolkit.

One of the section is TextCalc.

Could someone explain the use or benifits of this?

[+9Key]

My iphone has an app Geocaching toolkit.

One of the section is TextCalc.

Could someone explain the use or benifits of this?

Maybe pose the question to the person that built the application?

[+steve p]

Is it possible that the TextCalc app on your phone has nothing to do with the geocaching app?

 

A quick Google search on TextCalc shows this:

TextCalc is a calculator that evaluates a string expression such as "1+1" or "1+(3^2*4*-1). It follows order of operation, and supports trigonometric functions such as sin( and cos(.

[+bream_rockmetteller]

Well, I can't say as I can think of a use for it aside from some sort of encryption or decryption tasks, but it's pretty much self explanatory.

 

Each letter in the alphabet is assigned a number in sequence. You may choose to have a=1 or a=26 by selecting one of the buttons at the bottom of the screen. Type in a line of text and the results are automatically shown on the page. You get the sum of the numbers that were substituted for the letters in whatever you typed, then the sum of the digits in that number and finally the sum of the digits in that number.

 

I'll leave it to someone who's into puzzles to explain the need for this sort of thing...

[+ronocnikral]

Since LSU is having such a rough year, I will show some pity and provide my most logical thoughts on this (although, some may not view this as pity). My guess is, it is for doing map work in the field, e.g. you get your quadrangle map and need to find angles, distances, etc. That would explain the use of sine and cosine. This math can be greatly simplified with the use of UTM, where all you would need to know is a^2+b^2=c^2, but that is a different discussion. Map work and its accosicated math are not used a lot by geocachers and isnt really needed if it isnt wanted--hence your question.

 

Post note: sorry about the low blow about the tigers, but I live down there half the time and have to put up with tiger fans...

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

Sounds perfect for puzzle cache!

 

Send them to a historic marker to get the third letter of the second word, that's 'a', and the second letter of the fifth word ( r) to fill out the coordinate N33° 3r.2a1 or something like that.

Edited November 11, 2008 by TheAlabamaRambler

[+anony-mouse]

I have that programme on my iphone aswell... havent come across a cache yet where i have needed it thought....

 

What it does is that it allows you to evaluate the sum of the letters in a word.

 

For example take

 

"geocaching is fun"

 

the cache might say that you have to use the total value of the word based on a=1 b=2 c=3, etc

 

g=7

e=5

o=15

 

so you end up with

 

7+5+15....etc

 

the total value of the characters is 141

the sum of the digit is 6

reducing it down to a single digit is 6

 

now if the cache said a=26, b=25, c=24

 

g=20

e=22

o=12

 

so you end up with

 

20+22+12....etc

 

the total value of the characters is 264

the sum of the digit is 12

reducing it down to a single digit is 3

 

now if you take the letter value based on a mobile(cell) phone

 

abc=2 def=3, etc

 

g=4

e=3

o=6

 

so you end up with

 

4+3+6....etc

 

the total value of the characters is 65

the sum of the digit is 11

reducing it down to a single digit is 2

 

the programme allows you to quickly type in sentence and evaluate it......

 

handy little tool i reakon, especially if you have a long sentence to calculate and don't have a calculator or the time to calculate it.

[+Pat in Louisiana]

Thanks to all.

I know what the little app does.

I was just trying to figure out who in the world wound use it and how it would relate to finding a cache?

 

Thanks again.