Spectrum #4: Order these composers by birth year — the solution
The Spectrum puzzle from August 18, 2026: six things on one hidden scale, earliest to latest, with every figure and where the checks were best spent.
The puzzle
Order these composers by birth year, earliest at the top and latest at the bottom. The board opened in this order:
- Mozart
- Beethoven
- Gershwin
- Bach
- Tchaikovsky
- Chopin
Tchaikovsky was already in place; Gershwin opened 3 places from home.
The walkthrough
The ends first. Bach is the earliest of the six at 1685 and Gershwin the latest at 1898. Anchor those and the middle four are what is left to place.
Where the scale splits. The widest gap is between Bach (1685) and Mozart (1756) — 71 years apart. Everything above that line belongs on the earliest side and everything below it on the latest side, so sorting the six into those two groups is most of the puzzle.
The closest call. Mozart (1756) and Beethoven (1770) are only 14 years apart — the pair that is a coin flip without the figures, and the place to spend a check: a check locks whatever is already right and leaves only the wrong tiles to swap.
The answer
| # | Earliest to Latest | Figure |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bach | 1685 |
| 2 | Mozart | 1756 |
| 3 | Beethoven | 1770 |
| 4 | Chopin | 1810 |
| 5 | Tchaikovsky | 1840 |
| 6 | Gershwin | 1898 |
Previous: Spectrum #3 (Mon, Aug 17) · Next: Spectrum #5 (Wed, Aug 19)
About Spectrum
Spectrum is Noggin’s daily ordering puzzle: six things, one hidden scale, three checks. Tiles in the right place lock green; the figures turn over when the board is done. How to play Spectrum, or play today’s.