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From: wws@whuxlm.UUCP (Stoll W William)
Newsgroups: net.puzzle
Subject: Re: Yet another weighing problem
Message-ID: <739@whuxlm.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 20-Apr-85 09:25:30 EST
Article-I.D.: whuxlm.739
Posted: Sat Apr 20 09:25:30 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 21-Apr-85 05:28:42 EST
References: <5755@duke.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Whippany
Lines: 31

> 
> All right guys here is another weighing problem. If nobody posts the solution
> within a week I'll post mine. Enjoy it :
> 
> 	A piece of gold weighing 40 pounds was dropped and broken into 4
> 	pieces. It was broken in such a way that you can, using the 4
> 	pieces, weigh anything weighing from 1 up to 40 pounds. For example
>         something weighing 5 pounds could be weighed using one piece of
> 	gold weighing 15 pounds and another weighing 10 pounds. 
> 
> 	What are the weights of the 4 pieces ?
> 

1, 3, 9, 27 pounds

> 
> 	How about generalizing it, lets assume that the gold originally 
> 	weighed K pounds and was broken into n pieces, what are the weights
> 	of the n pieces given that the above property still holds ? 
> 
>         Note: I do not know (yet) the solution to the second one.
> 

Neither do I, but my gut instinct is that it can't be done.

>                            
>                                               Amr Fawzy Fahmy
> 
> CSNet : aff@duke

Bill Stoll, ..!whuxlm!wws