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π (Pi) Mystery Cache

This cache has been archived.

fractal: .

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Hidden : 3/22/2003
Difficulty:
5 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size:   regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

The coordinates listed above are NOT those of the actual cache location.
The cache is located in a nearby park. You must solve the puzzle below to find the cache.




So here's the situation...

Several months ago, I started working on a puzzle for a cache I was creating. I wanted to use something that was common to everyone, but still mysterious... Something I could easily turn into a complex puzzle... That 'something' is p (Pi).

A simple equation with a complex answer that seems to go on forever. With all of those numbers after the decimal point, I knew there had to be something in there I could use. I looked into numerous ways of calculating p, each giving the exact same results....except for one....my way.

Using a combination of the different methods that I researched, I came up with a value of p that is slightly different than all of the others, but this variation is only within the the first 5700 or so digits. After that, it's the same as any other calculation.

So I had a new value for p... But what to do with it? I worked for months on end... Numbers staring me in the face... Eventually, I started losing sleep over it. That's when I saved my data and took a break for a couple of months...

After a break, I started looking into word puzzles... One in particular has been of interest to me for quite some time. It could even be the biggest puzzle of them all: The Bible Code

A short description of it: Start at a particular letter, then count forward or backward X number of letters. When you get to that letter, continue counting X number of letters, and so on, and so on... Eventually, the letters that you stop on, spell out words and phrases. So far, people have found phrases that talk about events in our past, present, and possibly future... I HIGHLY suggest you do a search on the web for more information about the Bible Code.

So when I started working on a Bible Code puzzle, the numbers for the starting location, letter spacing, and number of letters all started looking familiar... These were the same numbers that were keeping me awake months before... These were the same numbers that I found in p.

So what does this all mean? Apparently, it seems like my calculation of p unlocks a portion of the Bible code. I'm still wondering to this day how this could be possible... Could I have come across something that no one else has? How do science and math relate to this religious code? What does the code spell out? Could the pattern in p be some sort of message? And if so, who put it there? So many questions... But I have one answer... I decoded the message... And it points to a location, on the Earth, in the format of Nxx° xx.xxx / Wxxx° xx.xxx .
What are the chances of that?

I've decoded the message, now it's your turn. Here's what you need to do (sorta):

Download this zip file (1.38MB). Inside of it is a text file containing my calculation of p, a chart to fill in, and a copy of a portion of the Bible. The Bible is in Excel format, and html for those who don't have Excel. A warning though, when you extract and view the html file, it's about 10Megs... It's useable, but could lock up your system a bit. If you don't have Excel and don't want to use the html version, I suggest you find an Excel file viewer.

After you have the files, you need to find the pattern in my calculation of p. I suggest you compare it to other versions. There may appear to be some 'gaps' in the pattern, but just follow what seems logical.

When you find the pattern, take the numbers that you find, and 'work them out' on to the chart, filling in the 'start', 'skip', and '# of letters' columns. On the chart, some boxes have a '-' sign in them. That means that these are negative numbers.

When you get the chart filled in, you need to apply it to the Bible using the Bible Code method. Fill in the rest of the chart with the letters that you find.

After that, go find the cache!


Eventually, you will come up with coordinates for the cache. I want to stress that even though the puzzle uses the Bible, this is NOT a religious themed cache in any way, so please just trade non-religious cache items

The cache container is about 1 cubic foot.
Hope you enjoy!

-fractal

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

[For the puzzle:] Pbzcner zl Cv gb erny Cv jungrire jnl lbh guvax vf orfg. Ohg xrrc va zvaq, zl Cv vf ynlrq bhg n pregnva jnl sbe lbh va gung grkg svyr sbe n ernfba. [For the cache:] Obk vf uvqqra cerggl jryy, naq hfrf gur angheny fheebhaqvatf. Erprcgvba fhpxf, fb gung'f jul V engrq greenva n 2.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)