Bushels of Apples
Math brain teasers require computations to solve.
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.
HintYou only need to weigh apples, not bushels.
Hide
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
Comments
Maneesh
Nov 17, 2001
| 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. |
tommo
Feb 21, 2002
| Spot on Maneesh. |
tommo
Feb 21, 2002
| 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. |
captbob61
Mar 27, 2002
| Better have an accurate, well calibrated scale! Good riddle! |
darthforman
Apr 20, 2005
| I say: just eat the apples and shut up.  |
musicmaker21113
Jan 10, 2006
| WOW, those are some HUGE apples! I mean, 1.1 lbs EACH?!? Where can I get some?  |
keveffect1 
Feb 20, 2006
| uggh! didn't like that one  |
Herman
Feb 20, 2006
| 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? |
blackmarket69
Feb 22, 2006
| I LIKE ROCKS!!! |
spazzyjazzy93
Apr 07, 2006
| he could just pick up the bushels and see which one feels the heaviest
i'm not sure if that would work though. . .  |
elshawno
May 05, 2006
| i'm so confused... |
albuquer
May 12, 2006
| 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. |
Krystle 
Jul 23, 2006
| i wouldn't have gotten that job, i must admit
good one |
hsbanana90
Aug 20, 2006
| ughhh that was hard.
but still very fun  |
sabrefang
Aug 24, 2006
| unlike some of the others who commented, i thought it was very clever. |
rrn0rrnrrnY
Sep 05, 2006
| 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. |
foraneagle2
Oct 03, 2006
| It would have been easier for me if I was thinking of a scale and not a balance! I'm an idiot. |
bladd
Oct 15, 2006
| Very cool. |
eyenowhour
Dec 19, 2006
| Very clever teaser. |
bbwild95
Dec 29, 2006
| Oh... thats cool. I was thinking of a balance, not a scale |
notsosmart111
Mar 31, 2007
| That's really smart! |
pating
Nov 07, 2007
| 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.
 |
javaguru
Jan 27, 2009
| Nice teaser.
I did it the same as tommo by taking zero from the first bussel to save a little time. |
Back to Top
| |
|
