I get the impression that most puzzle cachers are more mathematically talented than myself. I kind of enjoyed algebra at school, but I’ve gone through most of my adult life wondering if I would ever have reason to use what I studied in those maths classes long ago. Thankfully we all have geocaching to make sure our maths muscles get a bit of exercise.
Since the information you’re looking for with puzzle caches is nearly always numbers, many caches require some manipulation of numbers. But then there are also other caches which cannot be solved without some more detailed general maths knowledge. These caches could involve more complicated sums or they could require you to brush up on your trigonometry, calculus, averages and probabilities.
For straightforward sums you should be able to work them out using pen and paper, (or calculator), but for more complex equations you need to identify what you need to do and then how you need to do it. Check the cache title and listing information for clues about what type of maths you will need to perform. Also, if the information is presented in a story format make sure you read the instructions carefully.
Some local caches which require maths skills include ChrissA33’s Taipei River Biking Mystery/Multi (GC6M1K6), Haima’s Long-tail Dragon (GC1AM69), Rudychung’s 10/10/10 - Stargazing at Taipei Riverbank (GC2GHYE) and teng hang’s pu tou shan (GC3RZ6E).
PUZZLE GYM SERIES
MATHS MYSTERIES
PI(R)2
The solution to this cache actually has nothing to do with pi, instead you’ll need to find the answers to two maths puzzles, one requires nothing more than a little bit of research and some addition, the other is just a mathematical logic puzzle. You can find the geocache at:
N25 08.XXX
E121 26.YYY
XXX is the sum of the thirteen prime numbers from 29 to 79.
To find the answer to YYY you’ll need to find out about Samantha’s family:
What is the current combined age of all 13 people in her family?
You may need a thin tool to help carefully remove the cache from its hiding place.
