A Mathematical Approach

A MATHEMATICAL APPROACH

The sun has just risen above the horizon. An orangey glow from the morning sun shined onto the black and grey Katragoon as he sat at his desk; head on one hand, pencil in the other. The light shining though his eyelids awoke him from his slumber. 

“Hmm... huh?” He grunted as he looked down at his papers. They contained what appeared to be a foreign language: numbers and symbols; tables and data; graphs. 

“Damn, I must have fallen asleep while working last night.” Brant groaned as he slowly stood up from his chair. He had been up for most of the night conducting research about the Sichi Seed. He pushed his glasses into place as he forced his eyes to focus on his work. A table of various data was scribbled on the paper among some equations and graphs. 

“Right! I was trying to figure out how to maximize the grown and production of my Sichi Trees! I think I have almost collected all the data I need. Just need to make some sketches to map out where I want my seeds.” He quickly sketched a triangular shape on some graph paper. He labeled his seed placements with coordinate points. 

“Hmm... so all I must do now is find the perfect spot for my first seed. From there, I can use some basic trigonometry and distance formulas to place my others in the exact spot! Maximizing the amount of sunlight they will receive is the only part of my studies I have yet to complete, but that can only be done once I’m outside.” Brant took a moment to skim through his notes. “Yes, I think I am ready!” Brant grabbed his three Sichi Seeds and headed outside. 

*   *  *

Brant paced around his backyard, analyzing the soil and the sky. “Hmm… if I place my first seed here, then it will receive maximum sunlight. But this soil isn’t good enough in this spot. I may have to take some sacrifices somewhere.” Brant took a moment to ponder. No where else here will the seed receive this much sunlight. I can always give my seeds extra water, but I can’t give them extra sunlight. So, I suppose this is the spot.

Brant knelt and began digging a hole. “Yes, so the hold must be approximately nine centimeters in diameter and three centimeters deep.” Brant began to carefully dig a hole, making sure to not go over or under his calculated measurements. He carefully placed the seed, covered the soil back on top, and gave it some water. 

“Alright, now for the other two. Time to get measuring!!”

*   *   *

Brant wiped a bead of sweat off his head as he planted his final seed. The sun was just starting to set. After many angle and distance measurements, Brant’s work was finally complete. 

“Wow, I can’t believe I have been out here all day just to plant three seeds. But it was worth the work.” Brant look at his notes and sketches, then back at his planted seeds. His alignments and measurements were near perfect. “I can’t wait for the beauties to grow so I can harvest some magnificent Sichi Fruit. 

Brant paused for a moment. “I feel like there is something I am forgetting… OH! I almost forgot I have two Ay Seeds I wanted to plant! I got so caught up in my studies!” Brant sprinted inside to grab the Ay Seeds sitting on his desk. “Now where to I put these two? I haven’t done my studies on these plants yet… Ahh whatever. I’ve done enough work today. These two little guys should be okay right over here.” Brant walked over to an open area in his yard a little way away from his Sichi Seeds. He quickly dug two small holes for his Ay Seeds and gave them some water. 

“There. Now my work is complete. All in a day’s work.” Brant grabbed his tools and headed inside.