Sorting of Mixed Up Apples


How they were mixed?

Let's number all the baskets from 1 to 10. Just take out 1 apple from first basket, 2 from second, 3 from third & so on. We would have 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 + 10 = 55 apples now. If each of them was of 4 oz, then these 55 apples together would have weighed as 55 x 4 = 220 oz. Since 1 basket have apples each weighing 5 oz, these 55 apples would weigh more than 220 oz.

Let's say it weighs 222 oz, then the 2 apples taken by second basket must be of 5 oz each. And if it weighs 228 then there are 8 apples weighing more than 4 oz (i.e. 5 oz each). Hence that eight basket must have all apples weighing.

So depending on how much weight of 55 apples exceeds 220 oz, we can identify the basket with apples weighing 5 oz each.  

Basket with apples weighing more!
 

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