mezzacotta Puzzle Competition

Puzzle Hints

3E. Animal Quarters

Hint 1

Eight sets of scales, sixty-four coins, huh? Oh, there's one missing? On balance, I'm sure you can make everything add up. Also consider the total weights for each set of scales.

Hint 2

Making scales balance with four coins stacked on each side totally isn't as hard as you might think. On scales, the heaviest weight goes on the bottom.

Hint 3

There's only one way to balance a coin with a "5" at the end: put three coins that end with a "1" and one that ends with a "2" on the other side. Then stack the coins by weight and compare each side. Notice any similarities?