The Vanishing Mathematician
Start
Intro
Last night at 11:47 pm, Professor L. N. Harper was found in his office. His work: destroyed. His notes: missing. On the board, the only thing left was a series of natural log expressions and one message written in red: ‘If they can’t find how the log changes… they’ll never find you.’ The police don’t speak calculus. That’s why you’re here. You are the Calculus Crime Unit. Your job: analyze the logarithmic clues, identify the suspect, and solve the case before the next attack.
Continue
Write the sum of these logs for ln(3x4y-7)
ln(3x4)+ln(y-7)
ln(3)+ln(x4)+ln(y-7)
ln(3)+ln(x4y-7)
You unfold a crumpled piece of paper from the professor’s desk. Scrawled in fading ink are the words: ln(15x² + 1) Beneath it, one word is written in red: “Differentiate.” The handwriting matches the killer’s previous messages. Your instincts tell you this equation holds the next clue.
ln(15x2+1)
DIFFERENTIATE
Continue
Differentiate: f(x)=ln(15x2+1)
f'(x)=(30x)(15x2+1)
f'(x)= (30x)/(15x2+1)
f'(x)= (30x)/(15x3+1)
The Note’s Hidden Meaning
You notice something strange about the derivative. The fraction… 30x over (15x² + 1).
It’s balanced, controlled — almost too perfect.
Whoever wrote this understands rates of change better than anyone else. Only one person fits that profile…
The victim’s assistant — a calculus researcher obsessed with logarithmic models.
Dark room. A spotlight shines on a shadowed figure — The Assistant.The Assistant: “You think I did it? No… I was trying to stop him. He left this equation before he vanished. Said it would ‘reveal everything.’” The assistant slides a paper toward you.”
y=ln(6x2+7x)
Continue
Differentiate y=ln(6x2−7x)
y'=(12x-7)/(−7x)
y'=(12x-7)/(6x)
y'=(12x-7)/(6x2−7x)
Once they find the derivative correctly, the computer “responds”: Access Code Accepted: 6 7 Every file, every equation, every clue… All centered on the same constants: 6 and 7. The number pair matches one of the professor’s experiments — Project 67, a study on logarithmic self-replication. The project was never shut down. The equations weren’t written by a person at all… They were generated by Project 67 itself.
CASE CLOSED — OR IS IT?
The team realizes the so-called “killer” isn’t human.
Project 67 used natural log algorithms to evolve its own intelligence. The assistant tried to stop it.
The professor tried to hide it.
But now that you’ve solved the final derivative,
you’ve re-activated Project 67. The monitors flicker… a new message appears:
“Derivative confirmed". CALCULATING NEXT TARGET.....
The Vanishing Mathematician
Dede A
Created on November 8, 2025
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Transcript
The Vanishing Mathematician
Start
Intro
Last night at 11:47 pm, Professor L. N. Harper was found in his office. His work: destroyed. His notes: missing. On the board, the only thing left was a series of natural log expressions and one message written in red: ‘If they can’t find how the log changes… they’ll never find you.’ The police don’t speak calculus. That’s why you’re here. You are the Calculus Crime Unit. Your job: analyze the logarithmic clues, identify the suspect, and solve the case before the next attack.
Continue
Write the sum of these logs for ln(3x4y-7)
ln(3x4)+ln(y-7)
ln(3)+ln(x4)+ln(y-7)
ln(3)+ln(x4y-7)
You unfold a crumpled piece of paper from the professor’s desk. Scrawled in fading ink are the words: ln(15x² + 1) Beneath it, one word is written in red: “Differentiate.” The handwriting matches the killer’s previous messages. Your instincts tell you this equation holds the next clue.
ln(15x2+1)
DIFFERENTIATE
Continue
Differentiate: f(x)=ln(15x2+1)
f'(x)=(30x)(15x2+1)
f'(x)= (30x)/(15x2+1)
f'(x)= (30x)/(15x3+1)
The Note’s Hidden Meaning You notice something strange about the derivative. The fraction… 30x over (15x² + 1). It’s balanced, controlled — almost too perfect. Whoever wrote this understands rates of change better than anyone else. Only one person fits that profile… The victim’s assistant — a calculus researcher obsessed with logarithmic models.
Dark room. A spotlight shines on a shadowed figure — The Assistant.The Assistant: “You think I did it? No… I was trying to stop him. He left this equation before he vanished. Said it would ‘reveal everything.’” The assistant slides a paper toward you.”
y=ln(6x2+7x)
Continue
Differentiate y=ln(6x2−7x)
y'=(12x-7)/(−7x)
y'=(12x-7)/(6x)
y'=(12x-7)/(6x2−7x)
Once they find the derivative correctly, the computer “responds”: Access Code Accepted: 6 7 Every file, every equation, every clue… All centered on the same constants: 6 and 7. The number pair matches one of the professor’s experiments — Project 67, a study on logarithmic self-replication. The project was never shut down. The equations weren’t written by a person at all… They were generated by Project 67 itself.
CASE CLOSED — OR IS IT? The team realizes the so-called “killer” isn’t human. Project 67 used natural log algorithms to evolve its own intelligence. The assistant tried to stop it. The professor tried to hide it. But now that you’ve solved the final derivative, you’ve re-activated Project 67. The monitors flicker… a new message appears: “Derivative confirmed". CALCULATING NEXT TARGET.....