Category: 2022

Report by Tav:

“Three members of the team (Jake, Mike, Tav) arrived on a chilly night to continue ‘Operation Chisel.’ Armed with four freshly charged batteries, battle commenced and taking it in turns by close of play a further six tub-loads of ‘Wookey diamonds’ had been extracted, making a noticeable difference to both the width of the approach passage and the obstinate ‘Durdle Door’ lump in the floor (now minus said door!). 

Although neatly sandwiched between two primes (5 and 7), six is obviously not a prime number in itself. However, being the sum and product of three consecutive positive integers (1,2 and 3), a natural number (cardinal and ordinal), a composite number and the first discrete biprime (the product of the primes 2 and 3), the team felt it met Jon’s minimum mathematical standard and indeed positively trumped it given that six is also a perfect number (a positive integer equal to the sum of its positive divisors excluding itself). In any case it was gone nine and the team were well into overtime.  

With both strategic and mathematical requirements satisfactorily met, the team exited the cave to a frigid ravine echoing to the stentorian shrieks of Strix aluco.”

Report by Tav:

“Wookey Report – 13.01.2022 

Three members (Tav Jake, and Nick)of the team turned up primed for action, which, as luck would have it, proved to be exactly the right number for the evening’s activities, as well as a prime. With access to the dig face currently restricted by a crystalline pinch point and floor lump, a change of tactics was called for and Nick and Tav arrived suitably tooled up, bringing a hammer drill and associated bits and a new heavy duty point chisel respectively. Jake brought his work trousers and polystyrene knee pads. With slow progress anticipated all three headed to the face, each taking a turn with the drill which proved to be very effective. Once the batteries ran out the point chisel was deployed, which was also effective, albeit slower, and by the end of the night, seven, prime tub loads of ‘Wookey diamonds’ had been chiselled out of the offending blockages, which brought a noticeable difference to proceedings. A repeat performance next week should bring even more improvements to access to the ongoing and heavily scalloped rift. Well satisfied with their night’s work the team emerged to a cold crisp night, devoid of owls.” 

Report by Jon:

“On a wet evening, Jake, Tav, Jon and Nick assembled in a busy car park, ready for digging activities. A Wookey Hole event was about to commence. At the cave the four were joined by Duncan, self-certified to be on light duties.

Wookey Hole – 6^th January 2022

Duncan carried out surveying activities while the rest of the Team proceeded to the dig face.

Nick dug, assisted by Tav; Jon hauled; Jake sorted and stacked the spoil.

The digging remains difficult; plenty of gravel was hauled. On the positive side, there were reports of a draught.

Having missed a couple of sessions, Jon was intrigued to find that the Team had moved on from counting in prime numbers, or identifying the prime factors, and were now quoting sums of primes. This evening, Jake kept a bucket tally and reported that 25½ buckets of spoil were removed. That draws a line under mathematical observations…

…except that twice the bucket count is 51. My 51^st year was an interesting one, to say the least…

The Team emerged from the cave under a very wet sky and returned to the car park just in time for rush hour. The owls were sleeping.”

Comment by Tav:

“(17 x 3) / 2 = 25.5. All prime numbers. Well done Jon. I knew you wouldn’t let us down.”