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In memory of Mr. Louis Kokonis Mystery Cache

Hidden : 4/9/2024
Difficulty:
3.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   small (small)

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Geocache Description:


Coordinate details are at the end of the cache description.

This cache is in honor of Mr. Louis Kokonis, a beloved math teacher at Alexandria City High School who passed away just a few months ago, on January 4, 2024. Mr. Kokonis was 91, having taught at ACPS since 1959. During his 65 year-long career (which started during the Eisenhower presidency!), he changed the lives of almost seven thousand students, myself included. One of them was the grandchild of his former student from way back when. Another one graduated, became a teacher, lived out a successful career, and then retired... all while Louis was still teaching math.  Truly the impact of this man cannot be understated.

For more information about Mr. Kokonis, here is an interview from a few years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjBHjBFwBjg. You can also Google his name if you would like; you would get no shortage of results.

 


 

In the spirit of the seemingly infinite dedication Mr. Kokonis had to teach calculus, solve the following calculus problems to get the coordinates. If you keep getting a wrong answer, math help is in the hint (along with an actual hint for the find). 

Plug the answer to the integration problem (rounded to the nearest integer) into N38 49.XYZ. As for methods of integration, I recommend the Tabular Method. I guess you could also integrate by parts, but the problem was designed to be tabulated. If you aren't familiar with this method, there are numerous videos on YouTube or elsewhere that explain it quite well. To check your work, the first three digits after the decimal should be 718.

Once you've solved the differentiation problem, substitute x for 2π, round to the nearest integer, and plug your answer into W077 05.XYZ. For this problem, remember that the derivative of tangent is secant squared. To check your work, the first three digits after the decimal should be 891. (If you're wondering how it is a three-digit number, one of the digits is zero.)

The find should be relatively easy, especially for experienced cachers. Stealth might be an issue here, with the high school and the Chinquapin Rec Center nearby. Congrats to rlobecker for FTF. Happy caching!

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

QVSSRERAGVNGVBA CEBOYRZ: Punva ehyr vf lbhe sevraq. VAGRTENGVBA CEBOYRZ: Erzrzore gb fhogenpg gur inyhr ng gur ybjre obhaq, juvpu zvtug abg nyjnlf or 0, sebz gung bs gur hccre obhaq. SVAQ: Vs lbh pna'g svaq vg, gel rkcnaqvat lbhe frnepu nern.

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)