Spectrum #6: Order these scientists by birth year — the solution
The Spectrum puzzle from August 20, 2026: six things on one hidden scale, earliest to latest, with every figure and where the checks were best spent.
The puzzle
Order these scientists by birth year, earliest at the top and latest at the bottom. The board opened in this order:
- Edison
- Darwin
- Galileo
- Hawking
- Newton
- Einstein
Nothing was in its place; Edison opened 3 places from home.
The walkthrough
The ends first. Galileo is the earliest of the six at 1564 and Hawking the latest at 1942. Anchor those and the middle four are what is left to place.
Where the scale splits. The widest gap is between Newton (1643) and Darwin (1809) — 166 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. Edison (1847) and Einstein (1879) are only 32 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 | Galileo | 1564 |
| 2 | Newton | 1643 |
| 3 | Darwin | 1809 |
| 4 | Edison | 1847 |
| 5 | Einstein | 1879 |
| 6 | Hawking | 1942 |
Previous: Spectrum #5 (Wed, Aug 19) · Next: Spectrum #7 (Fri, Aug 21)
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.