Winner of Best Multi Cache
in the 2018 Victorian Cache of the Year Awards
Estimated time to complete: 20 min
Estimated distance to travel: 700m
Did you know that a can of Diet Coke will float but a can of regular Coke won’t? Or that if you place an ice cube into methylated spirits it will sink like a stone?
These fun facts are all examples of the same rule:
“Objects with lower density will float above objects with higher density”
Aim
The idea behind this cache is for you to run an experiment to identify low density fish. Your results will then reveal the final cache coordinates.
Materials
The listed coordinates will bring you to Version Three of the Balloon Box, now called the Fish Tank, in the beautiful Gardiner’s Creek Reserve. The fish you will find there are filled with either glycerol or water (see Appendix for details of the previous versions).
- You will also need to bring at least 600mL of water
Extra water is available nearby at S 37° 50.572 E 145° 7.141 or S 37° 50.705 E 145° 6.876 (listed as waypoints). If you‘re desperate, you could also carry the fish tank to one of the waypoint taps, only please return it to its original location when you’re done and be stealthy!
The densities of different materials are as follows:
- methylated spirits (density = 0.79 g/mL)
- fish plastic (density = 0.90 g/mL)
- ice (density = 0.92 g/mL)
- water (density = 1.00 g/mL)
- glycerol (density = 1.26 g/mL)
Method
You do not need to take anything apart to run the experiment - simply add water, the more the better! The fish tank may also need a wee shoogle to help with separating the fish. Please empty out the water once you have finished.
Results
In case you have any technical issues, here is a little guidance in checking your results:
S 37 50.ABC E 145 07.DEF
checksum: A+B+C=10
checksum: D+E+F=12
Appendix
The first version of this cache used balloons filled with either glycerol or methylated spirits. It turns out methylated spirits and rubber balloons aren't that compatible - who knew? In the current version, fish have replaced the balloons and are filled with either glycerol or water.
***CONGRATULATIONS to geo_jas and Spladem on the joint FTF***