2020 pi day puzzle Hunt

Note: Dates in the video are no longer accurate for obvious reasons.

2020 RMHS PI-DAY PUZZLE HUNT

Monday, April 20 - Friday, April 24

Celebrate 3.14.20 over a month late!

Zoom Opening Ceremony!

We will be hosting our opening ceremony via Zoom at 12:00 PM on Monday, April 20th, where we'll be going over rules, the puzzle formats, and prizes, as well as giving you guys the first puzzle. To join, use the meeting ID 721 4131 2544, but NOT USING YOUR MCPS EMAIL. The password to join will be emailed out to all teams that have signed up 10 minutes before the opening ceremony begins. Hope to see you there!

Rules/Guidelines

  1. Sign Up. Teams can sign up until the opening ceremony begins at bit.ly/pisignup20

  2. Teams. Students will compete in teams of up to four RM students and will not communicate with other teams.

  3. Puzzles. There are 12 puzzles. Puzzles will be difficult and creative, requiring teamwork, creativity, and persistence.

  4. Answers. The answer to a puzzle will serve as the clue you will use to find the next puzzle. Puzzles will not lead to locations throughout school (because school is closed, duh), but rather to online locations. When you think you’ve solved a puzzle, fill in the submission form at bit.ly/pi20answer. The Pi Day team will respond to you via the email you answer with in the form. We will NOT respond to puzzle answers emailed directly to the pi day email (rmhs.pi.day@gmail.com ), but will answer to any concerns or issues with the hunt.

  5. Resources. You are allowed to use any resource available to you (including calculators, textbooks, computer programs, and the Internet). We list a few puzzle hunt tips on our opening slides.

  6. Hints. Hints to puzzles will be released at 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM each day.

  7. Stars. The stars are a side quest hidden in the puzzles or other Pi Day resources and will often be in the form of the word “STAR,” reference the word star, or in a picture of a star in some form. Have fun finding them, but know that some stars can be tricky to find and won’t help you with the puzzle hunt itself. To submit stars, fill out the form here: bit.ly/pi20submitstar.

  8. Prizes. A grand prize, $100 in Amazon Gift Cards Codes, will be awarded to the first team to finish, Second will receive $60, and third will receive $40. The team with the most stars will receive TBD.

Tips from your Puzzle Hunt organizers:

  • Pay special attention to the wording and details, especially italicized words or letters.

  • Many puzzles require thinking outside of the box—have your team brainstorm ideas, and test each one accordingly. Double check your work! Careless errors lead to being frustrated and stuck.

  • Use the internet! Looking at past puzzle hunts or puzzle hunting tips in general can often be useful.

  • Work quietly and secretly! Remember: there is only one grand prize.

  • Most importantly, don’t give up! The puzzles are tricky, but we believe in you!

Good luck, and happy hunting!