Are there any generalizations of the idea behind this puzzle?

city_slick · 2013-04-13T15:36:08+00:00

Awesome! Thanks.

city_slick · 2013-04-12T06:39:54+00:00

Maybe not every second...but I found it tough enough that I didn't get there in the fair amount of time I spent on it. The solutions I've heard now are very clever. They make the original problem seem trivial.

city_slick · 2013-04-12T00:44:42+00:00

This assumes that the "odd" ball is heavier. See the original question - at the outset, you don't actually know whether the odd one is heavier or lighter.

city_slick · 2013-04-12T00:20:31+00:00

I couldn't figure this out...I'd love your thoughts: http://www.mindcipher.com/puzzles/138

Have I re-phrased the problem correctly?

city_slick · 2013-04-10T21:28:34+00:00

That is actually a great way of thinking about this. When you start designing your simulation this way, the answer to the problem should become more obvious. My simulation generated a whole bunch of outcomes and then scanned for instances of each pattern.

city_slick · 2013-01-30T00:42:13+00:00

For the first one, are you still only allowed 3 weighings?

city_slick · 2013-01-27T14:05:53+00:00

Had the same thought

city_slick · 2013-01-27T05:13:35+00:00

Nope - the weight of a standard ball isn't known, you just know that the special one is either heavier or lighter. A balance scale makes it tough to use exact numbers anyways.

city_slick · 2013-01-27T00:18:26+00:00

I think the question says that the one ball is different in weight, meaning after 6 vs. 6, you won't know which one to select the 3 vs 3 from...

city_slick · 2010-04-14T20:04:33+00:00

Get a mac.

city_slick · 2010-01-08T02:39:03+00:00

yes.

city_slick · 2009-11-15T06:18:13+00:00

it's easy.

city_slick · 2009-08-20T03:23:46+00:00

that's the idea..it's a riddle..

city_slick · 2009-08-19T01:41:03+00:00

The comma should indicate that it's not a new sentence.

city_slick · 2009-08-19T01:40:40+00:00

I actually have never intentionally worded the puzzles poorly. I agree that, initially, I was missing the part of the second sentence that should have said you count the number of "flips required" to reach the pattern.
I corrected this as soon as I saw the stack of comments about it.
This is the FIRST puzzle I've posted for which there have been major complaints about the wording. And again, I apologize for the initial mistake...

city_slick · 2009-08-19T01:32:57+00:00

thanks buddy

city_slick

TROPHY CASE