Brain Teasers
Bushels of Apples
An unemployed man walks into a shipping warehouse on the wharf. He goes to the foreman and asks for a job. The foreman says he`ll give him a job if he can figure out a problem with 10 bushels of apples. Nine of the bushels are full of apples weighing 1 pound each, but one bushel contains apples weighing 1.1 pounds each. All of the bushels contain the same number of apples. The foreman wants to know which bushel has the heavy apples. There is a scale, but he can only make one measurement on the scale. Making only one weight measurement, how can the man find which bushel contains the heavy apples? He can include any combination of bushels or apples on the scale.
Hint
You only need to weigh apples, not bushels.Answer
The man takes one apple from the first bushel, 2 apples from the second bushel, and so on through the 10 bushels. He then weighs all of these apples. Since each apple in the heavy bushel weighs an extra .1 pound, the weight of the apples would be between 55.1 to 56.0 pounds. The portion over 55 pounds would tell you which bushel has the heavy apples. If the weight is 55.4 pounds, then the bushel with the heavy apples is bushel #4 and so on.Hide Hint Show Hint Hide Answer Show Answer
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Comments
Answer is not properly explained.There are 55 apples in all.But weight will come out to be slightly more than 55.And how much more will decide the defective basket.For e.g. If it is 55.4 then defective basket is fourth as 4 apples were taken from it.
Spot on Maneesh.
You could save a little time by taking one apple from the first bushel, two from the second etc. up to the ninth bushel but taking zero apples from the tenth bushel. The weight measurement will be between 45.0lbs and 45.9lbs with the number after the decimal point indicating the bushel with the heavier apples. If they weigh 45.0lbs the tenth un-weighed bushel has the heavier apples.
Better have an accurate, well calibrated scale! Good riddle!
I say: just eat the apples and shut up.
WOW, those are some HUGE apples! I mean, 1.1 lbs EACH?!? Where can I get some?
uggh! didn't like that one
Couldn't you take one apple of each, and continue to add them to the scale until an apple is added that adds 1.1 lbs?
I LIKE ROCKS!!!
he could just pick up the bushels and see which one feels the heaviest
i'm not sure if that would work though. . .
i'm not sure if that would work though. . .
i'm so confused...
is it me or did maneesh just repeat the solution in his comment, good riddle tho, a little confusing, i thought the bushels were 1 lb.
i wouldn't have gotten that job, i must admit
good one
good one
ughhh that was hard.
but still very fun
but still very fun
unlike some of the others who commented, i thought it was very clever.
I think the simplest thing since he could weigh as many as he wanted once would be to put them all on and remove one at a time. I guess each removal is technically a measurement though. Good teaser.
It would have been easier for me if I was thinking of a scale and not a balance! I'm an idiot.
Very cool.
Very clever teaser.
Oh... thats cool. I was thinking of a balance, not a scale
That's really smart!
How many apples can you put in a bushel? I guess it better be at least 10 apples (or 9 as with the solution of tommo), coz we'll have a problem with the solution if its less than 10 apples per bushel.
Nice teaser.
I did it the same as tommo by taking zero from the first bussel to save a little time.
I did it the same as tommo by taking zero from the first bussel to save a little time.
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