Newsgroups: rec.puzzles, sci.logic
From: hoey@ai.etl.army.mil (Dan Hoey)
Date: 30 Mar 89 21:11:33 GMT
Subject: Re: Weighing 5 balls

I write:

>On a related note, for what N are the minimum number of comparisons
>for sorting N objects known?

I shouldn't have been so glib, for as Stavros Macrakis has pointed out
to me, it may actually be easier to sort balls with a balance than
with comparisons.  The reason is that you can put more than one ball
on each side of the balance.  Does anyone know of a case where this
ability is useful?

Dan