Weighty Problem
What is the minimum number of weights you need to weigh any number of pounds from one to forty ?
Labels: mathemagic, thinktank
posted by Rajesh Lal at
11:06 AM
Monday, March 2, 2009
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11 Comments:
half a big eighty pound banana
If you are only measuring in whole numbers, I believe you need 6 weights. One of each below:
- 1 lbs
- 2 lbs
- 2 lbs
- 5 lbs
- 10 lbs
- 20 lbs
For starters, you need more detail in the questions.. Are you using a balance scale? or Bathroom scale???
Since this type of question has been posted many times here, I'm assuming you mean a balance scale and you want to know the minimum number of counter weights to weigh any object from 1 to 40 lbs.. The answer is 4. 1#, 3#, 9#, 27#
See here posted just 2 months ago..
http://trickofmind.com/2008/12/balance-scale.html
Funny how for the balance scale method they are weights in measures of prime numbers. Perhaps, prime numbers are the irregular anomalies that bring "balance" to the universe...
Oops...
I mean begin with prime numbers.
One. If you have properly calibrated Teeter-Totter...
-h
6. they are 1,2,4,8,16,32
One....of whatever weight it is
by the way... u all think too much
I agree with 2 post
- 1 lbs
- 2 lbs
- 2 lbs
- 5 lbs
- 10 lbs
- 20 lbs
you can make from 1lbs to 40 lbs by rearranging these weights for eg;
17 lbs would consist of
10 lbs, 5 lbs, 2 lbs
38 lbs would consist of
20 lbs,10 lbs, 5 lbs, 2 lbs, 1 lbs
the only number maximum is 40 lbs then you'd need another 50 lbs to make anything higher which could be solid or broken, but solid would make less weights for measuring more.
~cassieadams01
whell...it depends on how acurate you want your measurement. You could use just one weight;
for example:
you have a 10 pound weight and you need to measure something. you the weight on one side of the scale, and your object on the other. If your object moves the weight, it is more than 10 lbs and if it does not move the object, it weighs less than 10 lbs
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