Math Is Fun Forum

patchy1

Member

Registered: 2012-07-07

Posts: 10

This is for a puzzle

I don't know where to begin

Can anyone help?

anonimnystefy

Real Member

From: Harlan's World

Registered: 2011-05-23

Posts: 16,049

Re: This is for a puzzle

Because you need help, it have been better if you posted in the Help Me section. But never mind that. What do you have a problem with? What is it you need help with? Describe the problem a little.

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“Here lies the reader who will never open this book. He is forever dead.
“Taking a new step, uttering a new word, is what people fear most.” ― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment
The knowledge of some things as a function of age is a delta function.

patchy1

Member

Registered: 2012-07-07

Posts: 10

Re: This is for a puzzle

Well I don't really understand it but I am assuming I need to solve for x and y

anonimnystefy

Real Member

From: Harlan's World

Registered: 2011-05-23

Posts: 16,049

Re: This is for a puzzle

Can you post the exact wording of the puzzle?

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“Here lies the reader who will never open this book. He is forever dead.
“Taking a new step, uttering a new word, is what people fear most.” ― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment
The knowledge of some things as a function of age is a delta function.

patchy1

Member

Registered: 2012-07-07

Posts: 10

Re: This is for a puzzle

"you will need to work the values for the solution given the following equation. I suspect this will take a bit of concentration - especially if you haven't done much mathematics lately."

bobbym

bumpkin

From: Bumpkinland

Registered: 2009-04-12

Posts: 109,606

Re: This is for a puzzle

Hi patchy1;

Welcome to the forum. There is not a unique solution to that.

You will need to provide a little bit more info.

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In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.
Always satisfy the Prime Directive of getting the right answer above all else.

Bob

Administrator

Registered: 2010-06-20

Posts: 10,626

Re: This is for a puzzle

hi patchy1

Welcome to the forum!

This looks like an equation for a conic section.  I think, with these coefficients, it takes the form

(Ax + By + c)(Dx + Ey + F) = 0

EDIT: Just checked the theory.  It may not be 'two straight lines'. Got to do some serious sums on those numbers.

MORE: No, it's not two straight lines.  Not a circle either.  So that leaves ellipse, parabola and hyperbola to check.  Back if I have more.

EVEN MORE: Looks like it is a parabola (or parallel st. lines) .  I'll try to get it into a format that will show this properly.

JUST NOTICED:

"you will need to work the values for the solution given the following equation. I suspect this will take a bit of concentration - especially if you haven't done much mathematics lately."

I, too, would like to know more.

Where did the puzzle come from?  Maybe there's a contextual clue as well.

Bob

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Children are not defined by school ...........The Fonz
You cannot teach a man anything;  you can only help him find it within himself..........Galileo Galilei
Sometimes I deliberately make mistakes, just to test you!  …………….Bob

Bob

Administrator

Registered: 2010-06-20

Posts: 10,626

Re: This is for a puzzle

Here's a graph of the parabola.

I've had to 'cook' the screen shot slightly to show all the digits.

If this is a geocache puzzle, my guess is you want the focus.  I can calculate this if you wish.

Bob

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Children are not defined by school ...........The Fonz
You cannot teach a man anything;  you can only help him find it within himself..........Galileo Galilei
Sometimes I deliberately make mistakes, just to test you!  …………….Bob

patchy1

Member

Registered: 2012-07-07

Posts: 10

Re: This is for a puzzle

Yes it is a geocache puzzle:
coord.info/GC1HEP8

Bob

Administrator

Registered: 2010-06-20

Posts: 10,626

Re: This is for a puzzle

hi patchy1

So, if I've understood correctly, this is a NZ cache somewhere in the Canterbury area and what you want is the minutes part of the coordinates (latitude and longitude ? or map grid reference easting and northing ? )

The equation stood out straight away for me as the equation for a conic section.

http://www.mathsisfun.com/geometry/conic-sections.html

The general equation shows the format at the bottom of the page.

Later, I looked back at the clue wording and spotted that 'concentration'.  That firmed up my suspicions. 

I had to read up a bit to crack which conic, and got to a parabola,  but then I thought to graph it

http://www.mathsisfun.com/data/grapher-equation.html

and that confirms it is a parabola.

Conics generally have two points called the foci (plural of focus).  The parabola is special in that it has only one, so I think this clue is pointing towards the coordinates of the focus of that parabola.

The numbers are nasty and I cannot find a decent website that will do the sums to work it out.  Plenty if it's a nice parabola with its axis along the x axis but this one isn't.

To find the focus I've got to change the coordinate system so that it is 'along the axis', then calculate the focus coords, then change back to the original coodinate system to give you the point.

Does this sound convincing ?  Have you got enough to work it out yourself ?  Don't want to send you on a wild goose chase. 

I'm in the UK so I won't be joining you on the hunt!

Bob

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Children are not defined by school ...........The Fonz
You cannot teach a man anything;  you can only help him find it within himself..........Galileo Galilei
Sometimes I deliberately make mistakes, just to test you!  …………….Bob

Camellian_nz

Member

Registered: 2015-04-06

Posts: 1

Re: This is for a puzzle

Hey there, just wondering if there was ever an answer to this question. Trying to find this geocache is proving rather difficult.

Bob

Administrator

Registered: 2010-06-20

Posts: 10,626

Re: This is for a puzzle

hi Camellian_nz

Welcome to the forum.

It was posted a long time ago.  That puzzle may have been taken down by now.  What you see above is as far as anyone got on this forum.

Bob

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Children are not defined by school ...........The Fonz
You cannot teach a man anything;  you can only help him find it within himself..........Galileo Galilei
Sometimes I deliberately make mistakes, just to test you!  …………….Bob

thickhead

Member

Registered: 2016-04-16

Posts: 1,086

Re: This is for a puzzle

Last edited by thickhead (2016-06-04 22:58:04)

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{1}Vasudhaiva Kutumakam.{The whole Universe is a family.}
(2)Yatra naaryasthu poojyanthe Ramanthe tatra Devataha
{Gods rejoice at those places where ladies are respected.}