Oh no! The saddest thing has happened! We have reached the last problem in this semester's Wright Challenge! Weep with me, ye' UNI students and Iowa students who are eligible to win the $60, $40 and $20 prizes, and to receive the handsome certificates, suitable for framing, that are given to all who have qualifying scores.

Turning in the correct solution to this week's puzzle by April 29th will earn 2 puzzle points. Turning in the correct solution, along with a list of the titles of the books from whose covers this semester's graphics were stolen will earn an extra quarter of a puzzle-point for each book identified correctly.


Once upon a time, a terrifying band of pirates stole five gold coins from a merchant. This was a good thing, because there were five pirates, so each would get one coin without there having to be a pirate fight.

Back in those days, gold coins didn't all weigh EXACTLY the same, so the pirates decided to rank them from heaviest to lightest, and then give the heaviest coin to the bravest pirate, the second heaviest to the second bravest, and so on.

All they had to weigh the coins with was a balance scale. And, for pirate reasons, they wanted to sort the coins with as few weighings of the coins as possible. What is the fewest number of uses of the balance needed?

 

The deadline for sending in solutions has expired. But feel free to take some time to work on this one, and click here to see the answer. Alternatively, click here to see the current challenge.

 

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