Micro Processor

According to the slogan, geocaching is "The sport where You are the search engine". With this cache you can be a micro processor and perhaps learn something about caching ...

This is a multi cache. As the title suggests, you have to find a micro hint (which doesn't necessarily mean a film canister) at each stage except the first (see below) and the final. I'm not telling you how many stages there are. It's your job to count them. (This is necessary to avoid short cuts; you might understand why when you're on the way.) This number is called S and it is needed in the last stage before the final. To avoid misunderstandings regarding the counting: The start coordinates where you have to answer some questions, count as one stage ("Stage 1" below), and from then, each time you're sent to the "next stage", one stage is counted. The last micro (in which S is used) counts, the final doesn't. So if the first micro ("Stage 2" below) contained coordinates for a second micro, and that one contained a calculation using S, you would have S=3. Of course, in reality it is a bit greater ...

If you liked this cache (and even if not ;-), there is a bonus cache. In the final of this cache you will find a question that you will need for the bonus.

As with many multi caches, you have to do some calculations. However, they are limited to elementary arithmetics on natural numbers with at most three (for the bonus cache, sometimes four) digits, where at least one factor of each multiplication and all divisors have single digits, and all divisions have no remainder. The formulas below for stage 1 are among the most complicated that will occur. Someone who passed elementary school should be able to do this easily, but if you prefer to use a calculator, bring one and don't complain afterwards. Multiplication and division have higher precedence than addition and subtraction.

In any case, you should bring something to write, as well as a mirror. A (small) torch may be useful, too.

The main part of the way goes through the forest. Please stay on the paths as long as possible, for the protection of nature and self-protection (possible ammunition remnants!). All stages can be found without leaving the paths, only for the final you have to take a few steps off the path. And please don't dig wildly, but look for obvious (to geocachers) hiding places.

There are encrypted hints for some stages. These are real spoilers! Please try first without the hints. In case my coordinates are a bit off, you should still be able to find the stages using the hints. (In this case please send me better coordinates.)

Stage 1:

At N49°34.432 E11°01.640 there is a building where people deal with micro processors. Answer the following questions; remember or take notes of the answers, you will need some of them later.

• How many years did Professor Wolfgang H. hold a chair ("Lehrstuhl") in computer science ("Informatik")? The answer is A.
• B = 4 * C + 79 (Was: Which special research area ("Sonderforschungsbereich", SFB) has its mailbox here? The answer is B. But this answer cannot be found here anymore.)
• The "Lehrstuhl für Informatik 7" deals with "??? und Kommunikationssysteme". C is the sum of the letter numbers of the missing word (in German) minus 10. (Was: Which number is part of the license plate of the official vehicle ("Dienstfahrzeug") of the Erlangen computing center ("Rechenzentrum")? The answer is C.)
• D = (A + C + 23) / 6
• E = (44 - A) * (D - 23)

Stage 2:

On your way to this next stage you have to cross a main street once. You can cross it at N49°34.472 E11°01.886.

The stage is at:

N49°34.[C + E + 322] E11°01.[B + E + 204]

(As with some subsequent calculations you have to compute the thousands of minutes. So there's something wrong if you don't get results from 0 to 999.)

There you will find the first micro with further hints.

Have fun!