The solution to the riddle!
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TV ClubHouse: Archive: The solution to the riddle!

Marymary

Wednesday, September 10, 2003 - 03:45 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
If the scale is a balance scale...put up 3 balls against 3 balls. If the heavy one is in these 6, put aside the three light ones and the two that were put to the side. Then put one against one of the three that are left and set one aside. It will be obvious if one of those two are or aren't the heavy one then the remaining one is it! That's two uses of the scale. Did I explain that right? Does it make sense to anyone?

Marymary

Wednesday, September 10, 2003 - 03:51 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Sorry Mr. (or Ms.) Moderator....I see the thread now!

Ezgoing

Wednesday, September 10, 2003 - 03:53 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Mary that is indeed correct, but I believe Pengoh may have 'beaten you to the buzzer' so to speak in another thread. But it just goes to show what innovative and creative thinkers we have here on our board---definitely the best around, and here's a good example to support that opinion. :) Lovers of logic puzzles recognized this challenge as a favorite brain teaser!
(self-edited to add: Mods, please feel free to move or remove this post. I didn't see Mary's subsequent post before my own.)

Cliotheleo

Wednesday, September 10, 2003 - 03:54 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
So does this mean we have our choice of food this week? I'm starving!

Marmosquirm

Wednesday, September 10, 2003 - 04:36 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Actually Prisonerno6 got it right first, I think.

Sunshyne4u

Wednesday, September 10, 2003 - 05:02 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Where did anyone get that it was a two sided Balance scale?

The scales we use in chemistry have one area to measure weight....also....bathroom type scales have only one area to weigh things and hanging scales(like to weigh vegetables or fish) have only ONE basket/hook.

My solution was a little less convuluted than you guys. Mine is Pick up all the balls.....drop them one at a time on the scale watching to see the change in measurement(electronic scale)....at the end if you think it is between one or two balls....reweigh(again by dropping one at a time).

Please dont jump dont my throat for this wacky solution...I just think of how I use to measure things at work this way. Worked for me

Ezgoing

Wednesday, September 10, 2003 - 05:17 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Marm, I wasn't aware that Prisonerno6 had also solved the riddle in a separate thread (I think we have duplicate themes going in several places--LOL!) but it doesn't surprise me at all that we have several bright posters who figured this riddle out in so little time! I stopped being amazed at the high caliber of talented minds we have in our membership, just glad I get to belong--LOL!