Microsoft Finance Internship Mock Interview

Practice 30 Microsoft Finance Internship interview questions covering Excel modeling, financial analysis, and behavioral scenarios.

Question 29 of 30

You are given nine balls, one of which weighs less than the rest. You are also given a traditional two-sided scale. How many times do you need to weigh balls to determine which is the lightest one?

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Kevin Downey
Kevin Downey

Kevin Downey has an extensive background in business management, recruiting, branding and marketing. He's volunteered his career coaching services at job fairs, lecturing on interview techniques and crafting winning resumes and cover letters.

"Divide the 9 balls into 3 groups of 3. Compare the weight of two of those groups. The heavier group should then be obvious, it will either tip the scales or, if the scales stay balanced, then it is the group you didn't include. Now, choose 2 balls from this group and compare their weights, and using the same logic as before, the heavier ball will be obvious."

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