[Dr Hook]

There are 10 crates with several hundred fish in each crate. Each fish is marked to identify what crate it is from. All fish look identical and weigh exactly one pound except those in one of the crates all weigh exactly 17 ounces each. By doing only one weighing on a scale graduated in pounds and ounces, determine which crate contains the overweight fish.

:?:

 

[Stupidcarpenter]

take 1 fish from 1st crate, 2 fish from 2nd crate, 3 fish from 3rd crate, etc. until you have fish from all of the crates, then weigh the new crate and however many ounces you are over is the crate that holds the oversized fish!

However now you will have to sort out the crate you just weighed, maybe one at a time!

 

[Smalma]

stupidcarpenter -
I'm impressed - you screen name is certainly a misnomer!

What to do with the fish in the new crate? - off to the smoker they go!

Tight lines
Curt

 

[the general]

Take one fish from each crate and put them all on a scale. You would then have a weight of 10 lbs. 1 oz. Start taking the fish off one at a time. When the scale reaches an even pound, the last fish you took off would be the one from the overweight group, since it is marked with the crate # you have identified which crate holds the 17oz. fish.

 

[Tiderunner]

Who cares whether the fish weighs 16 oz or 17 oz, they are all too small to keep.

 

[TrollKing]

really big smelt?