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How would you identify the heavier ball if you could use a pair of balance scales only twice?

Author

Emily Sparks

Published Jan 17, 2026

Only two possible conclusions are,

  • The pan going up has the fake lighter ball, if the two pans do not balance each other.
  • The single suspect ball left out in the 3rd weighing is the fake heavier ball, if the two pans balance.

How do you find the heavier ball?

To figure out which one it is, weigh any two against each other — say, A versus B. If one or the other is heavier, then you've found your answer. If the scale balances, then you know the heavy ball is C.

How do you find the heaviest ball out of a 9 ball problem?

Our Solution:

Divide the 9 balls into 3 groups of 3. Compare the weight of two of those groups. The heavier group should then be obvious, it will either tip the scales, or, if the scales stay balanced, then it is the group you didn't include.

How do you find the heavier ball in an 8 ball?

First weigh :- Divide the eight balls into three sets, two sets containing 3 balls each and one set containing 2 balls. Weigh both 3 balls set (3 balls vs. 3 balls) on the two-arm balance scale. Now either the scale will balance or the scale will not balance and one side will be heavier.

Which is heavier baseball or tennis ball?

When it comes to weight, the discrepancy is more significant as the baseball is a lot heavier than the tennis ball. Baseball has a mass of 5 to 5.25 ounces. The regulation tennis ball is more than two times lighter with a weight between 1.975 and 2.095 ounces.

18 related questions found

What is the minimum number of steps required to find the heaviest ball out of the nine identical balls?

So, in all, it takes 7 steps to reach to the heaviest ball.

What is a two sided scale?

A double-pan balance is a scale which has 2 pans that are balanced against each other. The scale functions like a see-saw, with each of the 2 pans attached to a beam over a centered pivot point.

Which one is heavier a pound of bricks or feathers?

Answer : They are equal. How? The most common incorrect answer is a pound of bricks. Though one brick is heavier than one feather, the question compared the weights, not the amounts of bricks and feathers.

Which one is heavier grams or kilograms?

The kilogram and gram are units for measuring mass. We write kg for kilogram and g for gram. 1 kilogram is heavier than 1 gram. 1.

What's heavier a pound of feathers?

"Which weighs more--a pound of lead or a pound of feathers?" The seemingly naive answer to the familiar riddle is the pound of lead. The correct answer, of course, is that they weigh the same amount.

What is a balance scale used for?

Weighing scales and balances measure weight by measuring the amount of force exerted on the load cell. They then convert that result to mass and display it in various units of mass. If they didn't convert it to kilos or pounds, the result would be measured in Newtons. Scales give different results based on gravity.

How do you use a balance scale to measure mass?

Mass by Difference or Subtraction

  1. Zero the scale or press the tare button. The balance should read "0".
  2. Measure the mass of the sample and container.
  3. Dispense the sample into your solution.
  4. Measure the mass of the container. ...
  5. If you repeat the process and use the same container, do not assume its mass is the same!

What is a balancing scale called?

These are also known as mass scales, weight scales, mass balances, and weight balances.

What is the weight of the ball?

5.75 ounces/163 g, and shall measure not less than 8.81 in/22.4 cm, nor more than 9 in/22.9 cm in circumference.

What's heavier a softball or baseball?

Who uses bigger balls? A regulation softball is significantly larger than a regulation baseball. A softball measures between 11.88 and 12.13 inches in circumference and weighs between 6.25 and 7.00 ounces; a baseball measures between 9.00 and 9.25 inches in circumference and weighs between 5.00 and 5.25 ounces.

Which is heavier football or cricket ball?

Detailed Solution

Hockey ball is heavier than football and tennis ball. From both cases, it is clear that the Cricket ball is the heaviest ball.

Is the 8 ball heavier in pool?

No, the cue ball is typically not smaller. If the cue ball is a different size than the object balls, it will be larger and not smaller. This is usually the case when playing on a bar box or coin-op table. Using the same pool balls over time can also make them smaller and lighter.

How much does a regulation pool ball weigh?

Billiard balls typically weight between five and one half to six ounces, or between 156 and 170 grams.

How do you find the defective ball from 8 Ball?

7 of the eight balls are equal in weight and one of the eight given balls is defective and weighs less.
...
Now measure the weights of ball B4 and B5.

  1. If B4 equals B5, B6 is defective.
  2. If B4 < B5, B4 is defective.
  3. If B4 > B5, B5 is defective.

What does a weighing machine measure mass or weight?

Scales measure weight, which is the force acting on a mass that is equal to the object's mass times its acceleration due to gravity. A scale can't measure mass directly, because the weighing mechanism and the weight of any given object are dependent on local gravity.

Which is heavier kg or LB?

A kilogram (kg) is stated to be 2.2 times heavier than a pound (represented as lbs). Thus, one kilo of mass is equal to 2.26lbs.

Which is heavier feathers or rocks?

A pound of rocks or a pound of feathers both weigh the same. However, the density of rocks is more than that of the feathers so the rocks have a lesser volume than an equal mass of feathers.

Which is heavier a kilogram of iron or a kilogram of feathers?

It doesn't. Their masses are identical. The only thing that will be different is their volume. Even if you compressed the feathers until you squeezed all the air out, they would still be seven times the volume of the iron.