How would you identify the heavier ball if you could use a two-pan balance scale only twice?

1 Answer

Divide the 9 balls into 3 groups of 3. Weigh two groups. now u get the group is the heavier ball in. now again choose 2 balls from this group and compare their weights. and u get the heavier ball

answer Nov 21, 2014 by Kshitij Maloo

Similar Puzzles

+1 vote

How many times do you have to use the two-pan balance?

Suppose you have 8 watermelons that are exactly the same in appearance.
They are equal in weight except for one, which is heavier than the others.
You want to find the heaviest one by using a two-pan balance.
Each pan can hold any number of watermelons,
and the only items that you can place in the pans are watermelons.

Find the best strategy to determine the heaviest watermelon.
In the worst case scenario,
How many times do you have to use the two-pan balance ?

0 votes

Find the counterfeit coin from a bunch of eight coins using a simple balance scale only twice?

You are given eight coins and told that one of them is counterfeit. The counterfeit one is slightly heavier than the other seven. Otherwise, the coins look identical. Using a simple balance scale, how can you determine which coin is counterfeit using the scale only twice?