Weightle

About Weightle

Weightle draws an old two-pan balance. On the left pan sits one target object; on the right, one of a counter object, and the question reads, for example, How many grapes balance 1 mango? You set your estimate with a box, buttons that add or subtract 1 or 10 or multiply and divide by 10, and a slider that runs logarithmically from 1 to a million. Then you release the scale and see how far it tips.

The daily set has three rounds that grow in range: Everyday Baseline compares ordinary things, Cross-Domain Mass mixes very different objects, and Extreme Macro Disparity sets small things against huge ones such as a refrigerator, a grizzly bear or a pickup truck. Because answers can run into thousands, scoring works on a logarithmic scale, so being off by the same factor costs the same whether the answer is ten or ten thousand.

A new numbered set is generated for everyone at 00:00 UTC, and an Endless mode gives random pairings at any time. The site names Fermi questions and the game Magnitudle among its inspirations.

How to play Weightle

1. Open weightle.org and choose Daily.
2. Read the question: how many of the counter object balance one target object.
3. Set your estimate with the number box, the step buttons or the logarithmic slider.
4. Press Release Scale to see how close your estimate was.
5. Play all three rounds, then try Endless mode for more.

Screenshots

Tips

• Estimate each object's mass in grams first, then divide: a mango is a few hundred grams, a grape a few.
• Think in powers of ten; the scoring rewards the right order of magnitude.
• Use the multiply and divide by 10 buttons to jump quickly on the later rounds.
• For huge objects, remember a car weighs over a tonne and a grizzly bear a few hundred kilograms.

Questions