RAY: This week's puzzler is a prelude to next week's puzzler. You are going to learn a mechanism that I hope will help you solve next week's puzzler.
Here it is:
You have eight coins, all of which look, feel and smell identical. One of the coins is heavier than the other seven. You also have a balance scale, on which you can put coins on each side and compare their weights.
TOM: You could obviously do this with four or five weighings.
RAY: But, the question is, how can you take eight coins, and determine which is the bogus, heavier coin, with just two weighings?
[ Car Talk Puzzler ]
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