GC1AT8P Palindromic Odometer Puzzler
Type: Mystery | Size: Micro | Difficulty: | Terrain:
By: CoBiker @ | Hide Date: 04/01/2008 | Status: Available
Country: United States | State: Colorado
Coordinates: N40° 10.720 W105° 04.436 | Last updated: 08/30/2019 | Fav points: 3
           

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Palindromic Odometer Puzzler

hit counters

Mrs CoBiker (aka Mama) was driving to her next cache placement when she noticed her odometer. Like most odometers nowadays, it shows six digits, in whole miles only -- no tenths of a mile. So, if her car had 300,000 miles, for example, she would see 3-0-0-0-0-0.

Now, what she saw that day was very interesting. She noticed that the last 4 digits were palindromic, that is they read the same forwards as backwards. For example, '5-4-4-5' is a palindrome. So, her odometer could have read 3-1-5-4-4-5, with those last four digits, starting with the units, then the tens, then the hundreds, and finally the thousands, being the palindrome.

One mile later, the last 5 numbers were palindromic. For example, it could have read 3-6-5-4-5-6.

One mile after that, the middle 4 out of 6 numbers were palindromic. So, the first and last numbers weren't involved in the palindrome, but the middle 4 were palindromic.

One mile later all six digits were palindromic. For example, 2-1-3-3-1-2.

What was the odometer reading when Mama first looked at it?

Use the six positions of the odometer as: a-b-c-d-e-f

Use the following for the coordinates of the cache:

• Let w = e-3
• Let x = b-5
• Let y = a+b+c+d
• Let z = c

Update:
ernie66 reported the following:
"I wrote a program to check all 1000 palindromic 6-digit numbers and was surprised when it came up with two solutions. Indeed, both work, so thanks for the geochecker to make sure I picked the right one."

If your solution doesn't work, try the other one.

The cache is at:

N 40° 10.w2x'
W 105° 04.yz'

You can check your answer for this puzzle on GeoChecker.com

Congratulations to
Salugie
for FTF on 4/23/2008

Additional Waypoints

07/01/2019 By MammaCa$$
Found it quickly. Nice hide!

07/01/2019 By Xnard
MammaCa$$ made the find

06/22/2019 By seanmoebeal
I wrote a program to solve the palindrome problem. Took about an hour, but would've taken me longer to solve it by hand! I checked it with the GeoChecker and verified it, but when I went to the location, I couldn't find it... I guess I'll check back again later.

04/27/2019 By CoBiker
New Log installed.

04/25/2019 By siff
I have avenged my DNF from 10 years ago! I found the cache container on the ground but put it back where it was obviously hidden previously. SL, but could use a new sheet of paper. TFTC!

02/07/2018 By Vater_UndSohn
Nice day, fun puzzle, great cache. Thanks!

03/14/2017 By jacobboulder
Quick find with tracylhs. She solved the puzzle and I found the cache. SL. TFTC!

Find #2658

03/14/2017 By tracylhs
Success indeed! TFTC! (BTW, Longmont's weekday traffic stinks!)

03/14/2017 By tracylhs
I noticed this puzzle on Sunday while finding a nearby traditional. My caching partners were not as enthused as I about solving a puzzle in the field. I tried working on it in the car between other cache locations, but could not appropriately concentrate! I continued at home, landing upon a possible solution pretty shortly, but still hadn't quite finished to the point of calculating actual coordinates. I finished that today, after noticing that there might be an extraneous solution. I crossed my finger- incorrect! Ugh! Then noticed a typo, and geochecked again- success! Now heading out to hopefully make the find.

11/16/2016 By gf256
Cool puzzle! I wrote a quick program to solve it since trial and error seemed like it might take a while.

08/28/2016 By jasperdakota
Caching up north today. Solved this one awhile ago. Thanks for the fun puzzle cache! SL.

07/01/2016 By NurseboyER
Took several minutes of pondering to figure out a way to solve this one. After just a couple more minutes logic I had a number that worked and got the ok from the checker. Out to GZ and quickly found after a short search. TFTC!

05/28/2016 By cajrrman
I brought my bicycle up to Longmont once again to find some caches. I rode 30 miles altogether and found 35 caches incding this one at 9:07 AM. Thanks for the cache!

05/19/2016 By DBsearching
Got the puzzle solved a few days ago and thought today was a nice day to go for it.
Made the short walk to GZ and had the hide in hand in just a couple of minutes.
Fun puzzle.
TFTC

09/13/2015 By LasVegasBones
Found this cache as we were returning from airport. This was a very difficult puzzle for me and without help from gracious CO I would still be trying to figure out combinations. The coordinates were spot on. Thanks for placing this hide! Beautiful day.