Puzzle Solving 101

Puzzle Solving 101Eric Peterson – eric@puzzlehead.org

“The sport where YOU are the search engine”

“I use multi-billion-dollar military navigation satellites to find Tupperware in the woods.”

GeocachingGeocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices.

Lag Pins

1. Solve the sudoku puzzle

2. Copy the numbers in the colored squares in the grid to the corresponding squares at the bottom of the page

3. The result is the coordinates of the location of the geocache

What is a Puzzle Cache?A geocache with a puzzle you have to solve for the coordinates

His question which triggered the genesis of Puzzle Solving 101:

“Where the heck do you start?”

OB Jetsaka “The Guy Who Doesn’t Like Puzzle Caches”

Located throughout Broward County, Florida

Each cache in the series teaches a different puzzle-solving lesson

The lessons encompass all of the major types of puzzles used in geocaches

Puzzle Solving 101 Series of Geocaches

Puzzle-Solving Topics

1. Strategy2. Tactics3. Trivia Challenges4. Wordplay5. Mathematics6. Logic Problems7. Cryptography8. Steganography9. Lateral Thinking

•Draw four straight lines, without lifting your pencil, which cross all of the dots

Lateral Thinking Problem

•Draw four straight lines, without lifting your pencil, which cross all of the dots

Lateral Thinking Problem

Puzzle Solving 101 #1 – StrategyExercise 1: No WiningOliver and Mae are hosting a picnic for their friends. Oliver prefers wines from as far north as possible, while Mae likes wines that come from the westernmost vineyards.

Oliver and Mae each chose a red, white, and sparkling wine to bring to the picnic. Based upon their choices, can you determine where the picnic will be held?

Red Wines White Wines Sparkling WinesHobart Muddy, 1986

$23Acqua del Piatto Merlot (Sonoma), 2003

$80Starboard, Batch 11 (Napa), 2001

$17Nobel (Stockholm), 1968

$26Mocha Java Zinfandel (Madag.), 2005

$42

Yukon Gold, 2004$5

Conch Republic Chardonnay, 1982$38

English Breakfast Chenin Blank, 2007$17

Gewurtzraminer Crème (Bavaria), 1979$21

Samoan Sailor Sauvignon Blanc, 1991$16

Tortoise & Albatross (Galapagos), 1835$173

Stolichniya Shampanskoye (Murmansk)$258

Don Ho Ukelele Brut (Hilo), 1966$948

Perth Pink, 1972$289

Spasmi Dolorosi del Rene Champagne (Argentina), 2003

$3

Puzzle Solving 101 #1 – StrategyExercise 1: No Wining N 26o 5.258’ W 80o 16.948’Oliver and Mae are hosting a picnic for their friends. Oliver prefers wines from as far north as possible, while Mae likes wines that come from the westernmost vineyards.

Oliver and Mae each chose a red, white, and sparkling wine to bring to the picnic. Based upon their choices, can you determine where the picnic will be held?

Red Wines White Wines Sparkling WinesHobart Muddy, 1986

$23Acqua del Piatto Merlot (Sonoma), 2003

$80Starboard, Batch 11 (Napa), 2001

$17Nobel (Stockholm), 1968

$26Mocha Java Zinfandel (Madag.), 2005

$42

Yukon Gold, 2004$5

Conch Republic Chardonnay, 1982$38

English Breakfast Chenin Blank, 2007$17

Gewurtzraminer Crème (Bavaria), 1979$21

Samoan Sailor Sauvignon Blanc, 1991$16

Tortoise & Albatross (Galapagos), 1835$173

Stolichniya Shampanskoye (Murmansk)$258

Don Ho Ukelele Brut (Hilo), 1966$948

Perth Pink, 1972$289

Spasmi Dolorosi del Rene Champagne (Argentina), 2003

$3

A Real-World Example

A Real-World ExampleSee how the red/white pattern differs from the other lanes?

A Real-World ExampleRed Herring – Hidden message in Morse Code!

S O R R Y

A Real-World ExampleThere’s a hint in this image to the solution of the puzzle …

The Puzzle Should Match the LocationPool Balls = Billiard Balls = N 26 35.320 W 80 05.706

2 6

3 5

3 2 0

8 0

0 5

7 0 6

Your PS101 Diploma

This Certificate certifiably certifies that

_______________________________has completed the requirements of the

Puzzle Solving 101 Seriesand thus having shown proficiency,determination, and outright insanity

is hereby awarded the title of

Puzzle-Headed Weenie

_________________ePeterso2, PS101 Series Creator

Series GeocachesGCYXZ1–GCYXZ9, GCYXN0

skiplondonPuzzle Solving 101 Finalist

lorriebirdPuzzle Solving 101 Finalist

antimony13Puzzle Solving 101 Finalist

First-to-Find the PS101 Final Examlorriebird AND antimony13

First to Get onto the Dean’s Listskiplondon

DEAN’S LIST RULES:1st RULE: You do not talk about DEAN’S LIST.2nd RULE: You DO NOT talk about DEAN’S LIST.

• 4/17/2009• WINSLMA creates a copy of

PS101 in Charlotte NC• 5/20/2009

• PS101 Mentioned on the Podcacher Podcast

• 2/20/2010• Interviewed on the Cache-A-

Maniacs podcast• 5/20/2011

• PS101 is named Geocaching Puzzle of the Day

PS101 Goes Viral

WINSLMA

• A Travel Bug is a trackable item

• Solve the 9 PS101 puzzles plus the first 6 puzzles of the Final Exam

• Compute and enter the confirmation code

• Receive the tracking code that allows you to log a find on the Remote Solver Travel Bug

• Florida• New Hampsire• New York• Michigan• Texas• Ohio• Kentucky• Wisconsin• North Carolina• California• Idaho• Oregon• Washington

Remote Solver Travel Bug

• Canada• Israel• Bulgaria• Scotland• Britain• Japan• Australia

The Puzzle Solving Education NetworkCopies of PS101 and caches inspired by PS101 around the world

Okinawa, Japan

Dorking, UKBratislavský kraj, Slovakia

PS101

Victoria, BCRedmond, WABend, ORRed Bluff, CAFresno, CASan Diego, CALansing, MIKingston, ONCharlotte, NCToledo, OHPrinceton, NJMiddleton, NS

Feedback

• “I have learned SO much from doing them. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

• “Thanks for everything you went through to make this wonderful experience for all of us involved. I can’t wait to see what you come up with next.”

• “Wow, that was quite a series!! I only wish we had started it sooner. ”

• “There is only one word for this series, BRILLANT!”

FL Piratelorriebird The Wench

For More Information

Blog – puzzlehead.orgEmail – eric@puzzlehead.orgPS101 – puzzlehead.org/ps101or coord.info/GCYXN0

Thanks for being here today! -eP