Escape Death and Prison: Balancing the Antidote Pill

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In a scenario where a prisoner must identify one antidote pill among 12 using a balance scale, the key points of the discussion revolve around the strategic use of the scale to isolate the antidote. The antidote pill has a different weight compared to the other 11 pills, which may or may not be poisonous. The challenge is to determine the antidote within three weighings. The first step involves dividing the pills into three groups and weighing two groups against each other. Depending on the outcome, the lighter or heavier group can be further analyzed. Subsequent weighings can focus on the remaining pills to pinpoint the antidote. The discussion emphasizes logical deduction and systematic elimination based on the results of each weighing, ultimately leading to the identification of the antidote pill while considering the potential risks of the other pills.
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You are a prisoner in the king's dungeon. You just learned that the food you ate was poisoned. The king has given you a chance to escape death and to be released from prison. You have been given a balance (which you can use no more than three times) and 12 pills with no perceptible differences. You know the following about the pills:

1. One pill is the antidote to the poison, the other 11 will not help you.

2. The antidote pill does not weigh the same as the other pills, but you do not know if it weighs more or less than the other pills.

3. You do not know if the other 11 pills have poison in them.

Using the balance no more than three times, tell me how you would determine which pill is the antidote.
 
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What about #3. You do not know if the other 11 pills are poison?
 
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