Riddles for Kids and their Curious Parents No.1

It’s Sunday today. A hot summer one. There’s nothing we want more than a tall iced coffee in the morning to kick start our day. You must be wondering “what goes best with iced coffee?”. Solving a hard riddle would be the answer. You might need some help solving this, so get the family around and let’s see how it goes. You should keep in mind that this is a hard riddle for kids, but most times, like this one, adults find it challenging as well. Let’s see what we have for you.

Riddle Name: Balance the Scale

Complexity Level: 3 of 5

You have nine balls that look identical, but one of them is slightly heavier than the others. You also have a balance scale that you can use to compare the weight of any two groups of balls. What is the fewest number of times you can use the balance scale to determine which ball is the heaviest, and how do you do it?

The Challenge

Think about it. You can easily put any 2 balls on the balance scale and wait for it to show a difference. But the challenge of course is to be able to make it with the fewest tries possible and systematically (not by chance).