Misprints and Rarities
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#167:Enrolment
20 years ago the academy began a now annual ritual where a number of the students line up in front of their lockers. The master of the academy blows a whistle and every student opens their locker. The whistle is blown again, and every 2nd locker is closed. On the third whistle, every 3rd locker is changed from open to closed, or vice versa. This pattern continues until the whistle has been blown the same number of times as there are students.
In each succesive year the aim is for the minimum number of students to assemble so as to increase the number of lockers left open at the end by one. Given that only 1 locker was left open in the inaugural year,
How many students are needed this year?
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Two hours have passed since my last entry, yet I would scarcely believe it has been more than two minutes, if not for my chronometer. The cause of this time dilation was - and is - a pirate vessel.
I initially put this down to a high-spirited jape by a crewman, but upon being handed a telescope by Green, I had to admit that the ship on the horizon did have a very piratical appearance about it, viz. cannons, black and white flag, ghastly figurehead. Green seemed rather excited about the whole thing.
"Avast Kennard, step up smartly! A swab on yonder crow's next sighted those blaggards aft - what say we take those scurvy tars broadside, and show them no quarter!" he said with a flourish.
"Green, this is no time for nonsense. I'm going to find Captain Harrison," I replied.
"Belay that talk! Cap'n Harrison... er... does not want to be disturbed," said Green, evidently having exhausted his entire repertoire of pirate-talk. I looked up towards the quarter-deck to see the Captain conferring with his officers in a state of forced calm. The PRS Exsuscito is no vessel of war, and with horologists being ill-suited to martial pursuits, fighting was not an option. We either had to run or to surrender.
Sure enough, we accelerated, and for the past two hours, the pirates have not gained on us - but neither have we widened the distance. One of the horologists, Fischer, has been arguing with Harrison for some time. I fear it may be related to the black and white flag I saw in his cabin yesterday...
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