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Mr. Elkins--6th Grade Math



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You have 24 coins and a double balance scale.  23 of the coins weigh exactly the same amount; the 
24th is slightly heavier.  What is the minimum number of weighings you must do on the scale to figure 
out with certainty  which coin is the heavier one?


Solution:  3 weighings  
First weighing:  8 v. 8 coins (w/ 8 off scale)  
Second weighing:  3 v. 3 coins (w/2 off scale) 
Third weighing:  1 v. 1 coin  (w/0 or 1 coin off scale, depending on what happens in the second 
weighing)


Congratulations to Ridhima Sakhuja for being the first one with the correct solution.  She wins a No 
Homework pass.

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