A farmer had a stone weighing 40 pounds that he used to weigh pigs, but the stone broke into 4 pieces. The farmer found to his surprise that with the four pieces, he could weigh any whole
Number from 1 to 40. What did each of the 4 pieces weigh?
A)1, 4, 8, and 27 lb
B)1, 3, 9, and 27 lb
C)1, 3, 7, and 29 lb
D)1, 4, 9, and 26 lb

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The correct weights are 1, 3, 9, and 27 pounds. These weights follow a pattern where each weight is a power of 3 (3^0, 3^1, 3^2, 3^3). This allows for weighing any whole number from 1 to 40 by combining these weights in various ways on opposite sides of a balance scale.

A Farmer Had a Stone Weighing 40 Pounds That He