Spearman clocks / compass riddle - SOLVED!

Edit: May have got over-excited. May not be solved!!
Another edit: Clarification from Spearman - it's solved!



Spearman just replied saying "show me all of your solution" when I asked if the clocks were now solved.

HannahHannah81 wrote:Spearman just replied saying "show me all of your solution" when I asked if the clocks were now solved.

That's interesting - sounds like there's a definite use for the clocks, and understanding them sounds more important than getting the answer from them.

Do we think Spearman's clocks should "point" to Marrakesh on google maps? Could one be a starting point, and the other be a direction and distance vector? Or perhaps one is latitude and the other is longitude - did any of our previous clock/compass/google map experiments point to Marrakesh?

The solution I sent to him was as follows:

Putting the following grid reference into google maps, you are taken to an area just outside of Marrakesh.

31° 0'0' N, 8° 0'0' W.

Here is the google link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=31%C2%B0+0%27+0%22++N,+8%C2%B0+0%27+0%22++W&sll=34.016242,0.439453&sspn=33.018888,56.513672&ie=UTF8&ll=31,-8&spn=2.151652,3.532104&z=8

31, because the big hand in your first clock was pointing to 31.
8, for the reason above

And the directions:
If we see the clocks as compasses, the big hands are pointing south and east. If we look 'backwards' and reverse the clocks, we get north and west.

He just replied and said:

"You are looking on the right path, and in the right area, but still not quite there. You may be missing some points in your solution. sdrawkcab nur nac emit ,rebmemer"

hmm, perhaps we should be reading the clocks as if time runs backwards... instead of 3:31, 2:08 perhaps we should be reading them as 9:29, 10:52 and using them differently?

I suspect a new "spearmans clocks and google maps" thread might be in order!

More from Spearman:

"You started on almost the right path in your last email, but wandered away towards the end."

So, I think the grid reference is right, but the compass points are wrong.

I think I'm almost there!! Help!!!

Just tried this:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=31%C2%B0+0%27+3%22+SE,+8%C2%B0+0%27+2%22+E&sll=31.744518,-7.764587&sspn=1.067392,1.766052&ie=UTF8&hq=31%C2%B0+0%27+3%22+SE,+8%C2%B0+0%27+2%22+E&hnear=&z=9

Fingers crossed!

How did you search for that? I don't understand google maps...looks great though!!!

ARGH we've got to be close to cracking this...

HannahHannah81 wrote:31° 0'0' N, 8° 0'0' W.

31, because the big hand in your first clock was pointing to 31.
8, for the reason above

Spearman wrote:You started on almost the right path

If we don't use 31 and 8 we'll end up on the other side of the world, so do we think this bit is right?

Perhaps he means we should be using one of:

31° 3'0' N, 8° 2'0' W
31° 0'3' N, 8° 0'2' W

or maybe the degrees part is wrong, and we should just be using the HH:mm from the clocks as mm:ss for the long/lats?

??° 3'31' N, ??° 2'8' W

Hmm.. i need to find a way of plotting these points faster so I can try more options...

DONE!!

My email:
How about this:
31° 0' 3" SE, 8° 0' 2" E

I put the references in backwards, and the 'points' are just where the clock hands are pointing to.

Here's the google link:http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=31%C2%B0+0%27+3%22+SE,+8%C2%B0+0%27+2%22+E&sll=31.744518,-7.764587&sspn=1.067392,1.766052&ie=UTF8&hq=31%C2%B0+0%27+3%22+SE,+8%C2%B0+0%27+2%22+E&hnear=&z=9
Hannah.

His reply:

Clever girl.

What about Lox's clocks then? (haha, like the sound of that!) Did we figure that out? Ahhhh I'm so confused!!!

Nice one!!

I don't quite get the logic though... how did you get the SE and E references in: 31° 0' 3" SE, 8° 0' 2" E?

Yay so does this mean that we can dismiss the clocks for this next stage? Not looked at the workings of this yet can't wait to get home and have a look! Well done

colinrocks wrote:Nice one!! I don't quite get the logic though... how did you get the SE and E references in: 31° 0' 3" SE, 8° 0' 2" E?

In a clock at 3:31, the hands are pointing south and east. In a clock at 2:08, the hands are pointing east

Oooooo I'm so proud of us!

HannahHannah81 wrote:In a clock at 3:31, the hands are pointing south and east. In a clock at 2:08, the hands are pointing east

Ohhh... perhaps I'm looking too much into it, but at 2:08 aren't the hands pointing NE?

HannahHannah81 wrote:Oooooo I'm so proud of us!

Haha we're so proud of you... I'm still struggling!!

Ohhh... perhaps I'm looking too much into it, but at 2:08 aren't the hands pointing NE?

I think that goes to show that it's not an exact science. Strictly speaking, the :31 isn't pointing exactly south. Pretty damn clever though of them to find a grid reference that they could show on a clock. Though I imagine they found the place first and then worked backwards to formulate clues!

Aww - I wouldn't have been able to crack it on my own without everyone elses thoughts

I hate to bring this up, but I still don't get it, and I'm not sure if this is the right working or not.

I could be very wrong, but I thought degrees were only north-south and east-west? So, 31 degrees SE would need to be converted to:

31*sin(45) = 21.9 degrees S
31*cos(45) = 21.9 degrees E

(they're the same because SE is a diagonal across a square). Adding the extra E degrees, you get:

21.9° S, 29.9° E: southern border of zimbabwe

In fact, thinking about it, with SE and E coords, the point has to be in the southern hemisphere - while Marrakesh is in the northern.

I am confused.com!

:claps: Well done Hannah!!!!!!!

Well done, big ups for team Spearman!

When I put those coords into google maps it first sent me to Mexico, and then suggested that I might like to go and stay in a hotel around the corner from my house.

Whizzing around in Google Earth I found it spat those coords out but responded better to:

31° 0'3.00"N
8° 0'2.00"W

Coincidentally, the experience of whizzing around in Google Earth is very much like DB's instructions to his group of volunteers what were mentally zooming in on the science museum to psychically determine what the mystery design was. I wonder if we might make more use of Google Earth...

I'm not sure Colinrocks. If you put that in, it does point to Marrakesh. To be honest, I don't know enough about coordinates to question the SE bit. Can anyone shed any light?

well done hannah! i couldn't make head nor tail of all the clocks =P

Guys,

I'm not totally convinced this clue has been solved. If we're looking for the clocks to hit Marrakesh, Wikipedia states it's located: 31°8′ N, 8°0′ W - the SE/E coords are way off.

If we're thinking the clocks are pointing to another location entirely, Hannah's calculations (which seem to be given the thumbs up from Spearman) point to Zimbabwe (I think - someone with geography skills please help!)

Cheers,
Colin

HannahHannah81 wrote:I'm not sure Colinrocks. If you put that in, it does point to Marrakesh. To be honest, I don't know enough about coordinates to question the SE bit. Can anyone shed any light?

I think it just searches the map you have visible already - if you zoom out to the whole world, and search, you get:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=31%C2%B0+0%27+3%22+SE,+8%C2%B0+0%27+2%22+E&sll=-47.040182,19.6875&sspn=179.307202,360&ie=UTF8&z=0

Can anyone else check this, or confirm that they get marrakesh if they search for 31° 0' 3" SE, 8° 0' 2" E?

Aagghh, my smugness was short-lived! I've replied to Spearman - maybe he'll clarify

i didn't get any matches when i searched fully zoomed out...