THE LOST SEA AND CAVE 140 Lost Sea Road Sweetwater, Tennessee  37874
		The Lost Sea was known by the Cherokee long before it was explored and registered as a U.S. Natural Landmark and billed as "America's Largest Underground Lake".  There is evidence of the Cherokee use of the cave as a council meeting site and dates inscribed on the cave walls support the use of the cave during the time of the Cherokee Removal from Tennessee.  Our tour of the cave was a special adventure through many interesting rooms, with unusual cavern sites that have existed thousands of years.  The cave was possibly a short-term refuge for Cherokee attempting to avoid the forced removal.  The lack of natural light in the cave causes historians to believe that no long-term stay would have been possible. Inadequate ventilation for escaping smoke would have prevented any extended use of fire for lighting.  However, the presence of the Cherokee can still be felt inside the cave.  It is an awsome feeling to walk in their footsteps, realizing their eyes saw the same cave, their hands touched the same cave formations and their fear of the darkness was just as real as our own.
			PROBLEM #1:  (Ratio and Proportion)                                        (Submitted by Dima) A.  Stalagmites on the floor of the Lost Sea Cave form at the rate of about 1 inch per 100 years.  Estimate the age of a 3-foot tall stalagmite. _____________________ B.  If it takes one year to form 1 mm of a stalactite from the ceiling of the cave, how long did it take to form the 304.8 cm stalactite? __________________________ PROBLEM #2:  (Estimated Population by Repeated Sampling)        (Submitted by Tex) The population of the fish in the Lost Sea Lake needs to be found so that restocking can be planned.  A sample of 60 fish are netted and tagged, then released back into the lake.  A second sample is caught and it is observed that only 3 are tagged out of the 75 in the sample.  Use this information to give an accurate estimate of the total fish population in the lake.  __________________