Scale Puzzles 301 - First Weighing: Right Side Down
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You have twelve coins (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, J, K, L & M). One of the coins is counterfeit, but you don't know if it is heavier or lighter than the others. You are allowed to use a balancing scale three times to find the counterfeit. Find a strategy that will allow you to find the counterfeit in three weighings, no matter which one is fake.

First Weighing: You decided to weigh (A+B+C+D) on the left and (E+F+G+H) on the right. The right side of the scale went down.

_(A+B+C+D)_  /\  _(E+F+G+H)_

What does this tell you about the eight coins on the scale?
What does this tell you about the four coins that aren't on the scale?

The right side going down tells us that (A+B+C+D) is lighter than (E+F+G+H). But, we still don't know if the fake is heavier than or lighter than a genuine coin. If the fake is lighter than a genuine coin, it is one of the group (A+B+C+D). If the fake is heavier than a genuine coin, it is in the group (E+F+G+H).

This also tells us that (J+K+L+M) are all genuine coins. We can use that information to our advantage in our next weighing, when we rotate three of the coins around by:

This, in essence, gives us four groups of three coins:

First Weighing:    _(A+B+C+D)_  /\  _(E+F+G+H)_
(Left side went down)
Second Weighing:
  • Put A+F+G+H on the left.
  • Put E+K+L+M on the right
  • Compare: A+F+G+H ^ E+K+L+M

Click one of the outcomes on the right

Left side goes down this time

_(A+F+G+H)_ /\ _(E+K+L+M)_

The sides balance now

    _(A+F+G+H)_    /\    _(E+K+L+M)_    

Right side still goes down

_(A+F+G+H)_ /\ _(E+K+L+M)_