Not sure if this one has been posted here or not, so here goes:
You are given 2 identical glass balls with the task of determining their breaking strength (you can assume that breaking strengths for each ball are equal). To do this, you have to drop the balls from different floors in a 100-story building and see if they break (again, you can assume that the breaking strength is 100 stories or less). Once a glass ball is broken, it cannot be used again. What is the minimum number of drops you need to make to determine the breaking strength?
Hint: It's much less than 100.
Originally posted by PBE61
Not sure if this one has been posted here or not, so here goes:
You are given 2 identical glass balls with the task of determining their breaking strength (you can assume that breaking strengths for each ball are equal). To do this, you have to drop the balls from different floors in a 100-story building and see if they break (again, you can assume that the ...[text shortened]... of drops you need to make to determine the breaking strength?
Hint: It's much less than 100.
Originally posted by PBE6Start dropping at 14. If it breaks try the 13 floors up to 14. Total drops = 14.
We have a weiner! Care to explain your solution?
Next drop at 14+13=27. If it breaks try the 12 floors between 14 and 27. Total drops = 14.
Next drop at 14+13+12 etc.
Nice puzzle - thanks for posting it.
Originally posted by DiapasonQuite correct. Good answer! For the others, you can try starting on the 13th floor or less, but you find that you can't get up to the 100th floor without making extra drops so you can't guarantee the breaking strength.
Start dropping at 14. If it breaks try the 13 floors up to 14. Total drops = 14.
Next drop at 14+13=27. If it breaks try the 12 floors between 14 and 27. Total drops = 14.
Next drop at 14+13+12 etc.
Nice puzzle - thanks for posting it.
Originally posted by RahimKSay you drop the first ball from the 14th and it breaks. Therefore the breaking point is less than 13. So now you drop the ball from each floor in turn starting at floor 1. That will take at most 13 drops totalling 14 drops.
What?
2 Balls you got.
You drop ball 1 from 14th floor it breaks = 1 drop.
You take ball 2 drop it from 13th floor it breas = 2 drops.
You have no more balls left and you still don't know if the breaking strenght is 13 floors or less then that.
If the first ball doesn't break when dropped from the 14th floor then you drop it from the 27th. If it breaks on that drop then you drop from the 15th -26th in order to find the breaking point. That will take 12 drops totalling 14 drops.
And so on with drops being from the 39th, 50th, 60th, 69th, 78th, 85th, 91st, 96th and then 100th. Each of these works like above.
The maximum drops will be 14.
Originally posted by Diapasonyou can't start at floor 1...the 1st floor is not above the ground.
Start dropping at 14. If it breaks try the 13 floors up to 14. Total drops = 14.
Next drop at 14+13=27. If it breaks try the 12 floors between 14 and 27. Total drops = 14.
Next drop at 14+13+12 etc.
Nice puzzle - thanks for posting it.
you are on a path that eventually leads to a fork in the road. One way......whatever you may dream of (the right way)....and the other way.....your worst night mare (the wrong way). two brothers.....one always lies one always tells the truth (thos are the conditions under every circumstance) one question to find out the right way.....what question do you ask? I know this is more of a riddle than a puzzle for those who like to be politically correct but whatever 🙂