science

Geokrety

Geokrety is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Geokrety rather than just read about it. In short: GeoKrety (from Greek: geo, "earth" and Polish: krety, "moles") is an online tracking service targeted at Geocachers. Each registered object, called a GeoKret (plural: GeoKrety), has a unique tracking code, allowing its movements between locations such as Geocaches to be tracked and registered on the service.

Key takeaways

Geokrety belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Geokrety to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Geokrety from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

GeoKrety (from Greek: geo, "earth" and Polish: krety, "moles") is an online tracking service targeted at Geocachers. Each registered object, called a GeoKret (plural: GeoKrety), has a unique tracking code, allowing its movements between locations such as Geocaches to be tracked and registered on the service. While the idea behind trackable items such as GeoKrety originated with the geocoin and travel bug, Geokrety is an independent trackable service that can be used with any geocaching activity.

Description A GeoKret can be anything, but in most cases it is a small puppet or other small toy, which can be placed in geocache containers. During the registration of a GeoKret on the website, the owner assigns a name and, optionally, a purpose or mission. These missions can be as simple as travelling as far as possible, or travelling to a specific cache, location or a certain type of location. On GeoKrety.org, each item has an individual page, which tracks its movement and calculates the distance travelled. After registering, the owner must create a label for their GeoKret, with its name, mission, the Tracking Code and the website address. Optionally, the short user's manual and a QR code can be included. The label should then be protected against moisture, e.g. by laminating. GeoKrety are not trade items, therefore it is not compulsory to put something in a cache to take a GeoKret, nor is it required to take something from a cache in exchange for a GK. If a geocacher wants to take something from a cache, they are obligated to make a trade before placing the GK. Furthermore, there is no obligation to pick up a GeoKret from a cache as users can simply mark the item as "discovered" on the website. In order to log a move or discovery of a GeoKret, users are required to enter its Tracking Code and the location or cache where they left it. The cache can be identified by its waypoint, cache name (the coordinates are acquired automatically from most geocaching services) or by coordinates. The service is free of charge. All content (including descriptions of GeoKrety, illustrations and log entries) made available by publishing them on the site is licensed under a Creative Commons license. The service was founded in October 2007. and is operated by a group of volunteers. As of 8 January 2012 there were 20098 registered GeoKrety and 167009 log entries. All GeoKrety (excluding human-type) travelled 16579482 kilometres.

Supported services Geokrety are not associated with any particular geocaching service. Users are allowed to place GeoKrety in caches registered in any database, as well as in other locations (e.g. at home), in which case they are required to provide the coordinates. In order to simplify logging of GeoKrety, the website fetches cache information (like a waypoint name, coordinates, description) from many popular geocaching services. For fully supported services, only a GeoKret's Tracking Code (printed in the label) and the cache's waypoint are required, as all other data (like the cache's title and coordinates) are completed automatically. As of 8 January 2012, there were 665997 waypoints (with full cache information) in the geokrety.org database. When dropping a GeoKret into a cache listed at geocaching.com only, the coordinates must be entered manually. A browser plug-in for Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome is available to automate this. A Free and open-source software android app, GeoKrety Logger, is available on F-Droid.

Geokrety categories Depending on its type, a GeoKret needs to be assigned one of the following categories:

Traditional geokret (e.g. a puppet) Book CD or DVD Coin (for coin shaped Geokrety) Human (for users of this service tracking themselves)

QR codes Some GeoKrets have QR code printed on their labels, encoding their tracking code, After taking a photo and decoding the code, the user is automatically taken to the appropriate website to log a move of a GeoKret. Some fields are completed automatically according to information read from the QR code. No special application, except a QR code reader, is required for this task.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Geokrety

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Geokrety claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Geokrety before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Geokrety ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Geokrety

In research: Geokrety appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Geokrety in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Geokrety is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Geocaching, Internet object tracking, Outdoor locating games, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Geokrety outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Geokrety in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Geokrety means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Geokrety out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Geokrety in simple terms?

Why does Geokrety matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Geokrety?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Geokrety.