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Enos, Idom Mystery Cache

This cache has been archived.

The Rat: I retrieved the cache today. The final contents: Hawaiian shirt key fob (Batfish), CA wooden nickel (Team Jiffy), Soccer coin (trode), a crayon an amber/plastic thingie and the log sheet.

Solution: The title, Enos, Idom is "Mod is one" spelled backwards. If you found the online document mentioning the real Misty Enos and Kelly Idom, that was a red herring. The title refers to the modulo, or mod, function that is taught in junior high algebra and is on any spreadsheet. In case you don't know it, it really is just the remainder when one integer is divided into another, so 10 mod 3 = 1. So you're looking for numbers when combined with the ones on the page in a division problem that leave a remainder of 1. Let's start with 22. It seems to me there are really only two things you could logically do if you understand the title: try to find numbers, x, y, etc. such that x mod 22 = 1, or 22 mod x = 1. The first option results in an infinite number of integers, all in the form (22 x N) +1, where N is an integer, and none of the early ones look promising. The second approach is the reverse. Subtract 1 and then factor to get all the numbers for which the mod is 1. Other than the trivial case 22-1=21, the only solutions are 3 and 7. 3,7...look familiar? Encouraged by this, do the same for 12408. 12407 factored is 19 x 653. So 12408 mod 19 is 1 and 12408 mod 653 is 1. There are no others besides the trivial case. The N coordinate is 37 19.653. I originally thought this was barely a 3 star cache. I was surprised at how difficult this one has been for many of our math mavens, but it's all in how you look at it. Obviously it turned out to be harder than I thought. This nice little park is now open for another cache.

Oh, that first hint? 459060 mod 37=1; 459060 mod 19=1; 459060 mod 653=1. There are no other numbers besides the trivial case for which this is true. It was intended as a way to check if you weren't sure you had the correct solution. Modmin was intended to direct you to the smallest (minimum) mod numbers, i.e. ignore the trivial cases.

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Hidden : 4/16/2006
Difficulty:
4 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   small (small)

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Geocache Description:

The cache is not at the posted coordinates, but is within 7 miles. Only the posted longitude is accurate. To find the latitude, you must solve the puzzle below.

There once was a stunt girl named Aster
Whose boyfriend out-geocached her.
She sat on a chipper
and there caught her zipper.
Only one word describes it - "Disaster!"

Al chuckled inwardly as he penned the corny limerick in his Valentine's Day card. He planned to present it to his love, Aster. Still, he had to think of something more than a risque pun. Aster was a glutton for difficult puzzle caches, and he wanted desperately to think of something suitable with which to surprise her. He remembered how they met - working together to solve one of those fiendish Rat two-number puzzles. If only he could think of something similar, she would melt at the romantic allusion. If only ...

Then inspiration struck! He remembered Aster's friends Misty Enos and Kelly Idom. They both worked at Aster's church back in Texas where she grew up. They were coming out to visit next month, the anniversary of when he and Aster got together. Misty was a math genius. Surely she could inspire him, and the timing would be perfect. He gave her a call and explained his need (but had sense enough not to recite the limerick to her!) After musing a bit, Misty mentioned the inkling of an idea. As she explained it, Al began to see the light. It would require providing the longitude in the clear. That posted coordinate would be genuine. Only the latitude would be false, but there would be a way to figure it out, a way that was appropriate to Kelly and Misty's visit.

It took some research, but Al refined the concept and found just the spot. Then he finished his Valentine's Day card. He signed it:

Love, Al

22 .... 12408

Aster loved it, even the limerick ... at first. Then frustration set in as she was unable to solve the puzzle. Can you help her find the cache? If you do, log your find with a limerick she can use to get over on Al. Any log without a limerick will be deleted. Try for a geocache-related one, but I'll accept something less, as long as you don't repeat someone else's. The small cache contains a few trinkets, but no pen. Please be careful in your log not to give any hints as to the physical surroundings or other useful "brute force" information.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

[puzzle hint 1] 459060 [puzzle hint 2] Gur gvgyr znl or na nantenz bs "qbzvabrf" ohg vg unf abguvat gb qb jvgu qbzvabrf (be qbzvabf be cvmmn). [puzzle hint 3] avzqbz [cache] V'z abg cynlvat uneqonyy.

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)