So, I have left Dale Winton in Namibia (details here if you want to know more) and taken my diamonds to Finland where I have met up with Michael Widenius – creator of the web’s favourite Database MySQL – and over an all-night Vodka session we somehow came up with the plan to invest in a paper mill (Yes, I don’t know why either). The mill specialises in A4 printer paper which we package in Reams (want to know the origins of a Ream? – click here) – but we have a problem – our packaging department quality control is a bit lax and we aren’t quite sure how many sheets of paper are actually going into each packet. Production is spot on and every single sheet is identical as is the packaging so if we knew how much 1 sheet weighed we could know how many were in each packet and get the price correct. We have a huge number of packets and fortunately I still have my highly sensitive scales and, as Dale is no longer around, we can make as many weighings as we like. There is one issue, Michael will not let us open any of the packets. If we can’t solve this problem, he has threatened to withdraw his investment which will lead me to financial ruin. How can I determine the weight of one sheet of paper wihout opening any of the packets? Note: we are not here going to get distracted with a discussion about weight, mass and gravity! Key facts
- Huge number of packets of paper
- All sheets of paper and packaging identical
- Highly sensitive electronic balance
- Multiple weighings
Challenge Calculate the weight of 1 sheet of paper – or financial oblivion beckons. The Answer…is here
Thank you to Wikipedia for useless but interesting facts