TED-Ed: Can you solve the giant iron riddle? - Alex Gendler

The video presents a scenario where a giant needs to iron a shirt for a dinner party but the batteries for the iron are mixed up. The challenge is to find a working pair of batteries in 7 tries or less. The solution involves dividing the batteries into smaller groups and testing combinations to efficiently identify working batteries. This method ensures a working pair is found quickly, allowing the giant to iron the shirt in time for the party.

What is the main challenge faced by the giants in the video?

• Identifying two working batteries

• Cooking a meal for the party

• Locating a missing giant

• Finding a matching pair of shoes

Why is it not efficient to test all 28 possible battery combinations?

• There are not enough batteries to test

• It would take too long to move the giant batteries

• The batteries are all identical

• The batteries are too heavy to lift

What is the key insight that helps solve the battery problem?

• Testing batteries in pairs of two

• Using a different type of battery

• Dividing batteries into smaller subsets

• Charging the batteries before testing

How are the batteries divided to ensure a working pair is found?

• Into sets of 4, 2, and 2

• Into sets of 3, 3, and 2

• Into sets of 2, 2, and 4

• Into sets of 1, 1, and 6

What is the outcome once the batteries are correctly identified?

• The batteries are discarded

• The iron powers up and the shirt is ironed

• The shirt remains wrinkled

• The iron fails to work