Newbie Help for Puzzle Caches

[+Kreamer&BearsKrew]

Hi - we are new to geocaching and have had very little trouble using our gps and finding more than 20 caches in the last month, so we know what we're doing that way... The trouble is I cannot figure out how on earth to do the 'math puzzle' variety... The two we have attempted give coordinates in decimal degrees so I thought this would just be simple math, but the coordinates I am getting (even with a calculator) are so far off base they can't be right (i.e. the middle of Lake Ontario for a walk up cache). I have copied and pasted one of the caches in question below... can someone please point me in the right direction?

 

GC15EZX - Treasures of Lincoln's Past

The above coordinates will take you to a little known park in The Town of Lincoln called "The Millennium Forest". In the center of the park is a time capsule with some writing on it. Take the total of all numbers(3) on the inscription (check sum = 14) and then divide that number by 1000 and then SUBTRACT what you get from the following Coordinates:

 

N43 15.785 minus answer = N43 _ _._ _ _ (N43 15.771)

 

W079 27.950 minus answer = W079 _ _._ _ _ (W079 27.936)

 

The coordinates I get doing straight decimal math are above in brackets... but both my gps and google maps puts this in the middle of Lake Ontario... based on other's logs I'm pretty sure this is not it.

 

What am I doing wrong? Any help or pointers in the right direction would be GREATLY appreciated! :-)

 

Sheryl of Kreamer&BearsKrew

[glorkar]

I'm not sure what the "check sum" is, but it looks like you actually have to go to the posted coordinates first to look at the time capsule. Chances are the numbers on it are dates. Once you add those up, divide them by 1000 (Total/1000=number to subtract from puzzle coordinates.) Hope this helps.

[+jhauser42]

I agree. Odds are that the numbers on the time capsule are dates. If this is true you will get a number in the thousands, not 14. (I am in the middle of a multi that uses a similar method with a birth date). This also looks like a fun one. I may have to do it next time I am up in Canada.

 

EDIT: I will not give any answers here, but all of the above is true. You will need to go there and actually look at the numbers on the time capsule. I am not sure what the check sum 14 means but it is not the number you need to subtract to get the real coords.

Edited October 20, 2009 by jhauser42

[GOF and Bacall]

It is generally considered bad form to solve puzzle caches in the forums. I'd suggest you try asking the cache owner for a hint before you look for help elsewhere.

[+Kreamer&BearsKrew]

It is generally considered bad form to solve puzzle caches in the forums. I'd suggest you try asking the cache owner for a hint before you look for help elsewhere.

 

Thanks - I was asking for help with the general idea of what to do rather than the specific puzzle that I gave as an example. And I did ask the cache owner, who showed me my error (math issues!) without solving the puzzle. Thanks:-)

[+Chrysalides]

It is generally considered bad form to solve puzzle caches in the forums. I'd suggest you try asking the cache owner for a hint before you look for help elsewhere.

In this particular instance, I don't think it is spoiling the puzzle. The instructions are right there in the clear. In our neck of the woods, this would probably be published as a multistage.

 

By the way, checksum is calculated in this way : say your number is 12345. The checksum is simply 1+2+3+4+5 (= 15 in this case). It is a common way for checking coordinates in a puzzle. The description might say coordinates checksum is 45, which means if you add up all the 14 or 15 digits of your coordinates (as single numbers) you should get 45.

[+niraD]

Thanks - I was asking for help with the general idea of what to do rather than the specific puzzle that I gave as an example.

A while back, The Rat offered a puzzle-solving class as an event cache. His slides are available here:

http://thegba.net/resources/general_information.php

 

Among the tips he offered:

 

Identify the theme. Check the cache title, the hint, the HTML source, the graphics (including names/URLs), any links (including URLs), whatever is at the posted coordinates, etc. If you can figure out the theme, then you should look for numbering systems that are associated with that theme (zip codes, area codes, telephone keypads, episode numbers, etc.).

 

Around here, coordinates will have 15 digits, and will look like "N 37° xx.xxx W 122° xx.xxx". So when I'm solving a nearby puzzle, I look for a group of 15 things, and then I look for ways to get the digits 37xxxxx122xxxxx from them. In general, I look for ways to get the number 37 (or the digits 3 and 7) from something near the beginning of the puzzle, and the number 122 (or the digits 1, 2, and 2) from something near the middle of the puzzle. (Of course, you'll need to adjust this for the coordinates near you.)

 

Another useful resource is the Puzzle Solving 101 Series

http://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.a...ef-901807ba9c98

[+jhauser42]

 

By the way, checksum is calculated in this way : say your number is 12345. The checksum is simply 1+2+3+4+5 (= 15 in this case). It is a common way for checking coordinates in a puzzle. The description might say coordinates checksum is 45, which means if you add up all the 14 or 15 digits of your coordinates (as single numbers) you should get 45.

 

Yeah, I actually realized this some time after posting and smacked myself when I did. I should have known that.

[+Kreamer&BearsKrew]

Would just like to say thanks to all those that offered help here. Found our first 2 puzzle caches on the weekend without anyone having to give us the answers... now we know how to do the math

 

Kreamer&BearsKrew

[+niraD]

Would just like to say thanks to all those that offered help here. Found our first 2 puzzle caches on the weekend without anyone having to give us the answers... now we know how to do the math

Welcome to the addiction!

[+Shelle518]

nick ciske is also a big help with puzzle solving.

[+Prime Suspect]

When doing "coordinate math", you generally just ignore the decimal point, line the numbers up on the right side, and do the addition or subtraction. Then you put the decimal point back.

32 14.123

+ 3 456

32 17.579