Spectrum #17: Order these car features by first appearance — the solution
The Spectrum puzzle from August 31, 2026: six things on one hidden scale, earliest to latest, with every figure and where the checks were best spent.
The puzzle
Order these car features by first appearance, earliest at the top and latest at the bottom. The board opened in this order:
- Air conditioning
- Three-point seat belt
- Car radio
- Anti-lock brakes
- Airbag
- Cruise control
Nothing was in its place; Cruise control opened 3 places from home.
The walkthrough
The ends first. Car radio is the earliest of the six at 1930 and Airbag the latest at 1973. Anchor those and the middle four are what is left to place.
Where the scale splits. The widest gap is between Air conditioning (1939) and Cruise control (1958) — 19 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. Cruise control (1958) and Three-point seat belt (1959) are only 1 year 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 | Car radio | 1930 |
| 2 | Air conditioning | 1939 |
| 3 | Cruise control | 1958 |
| 4 | Three-point seat belt | 1959 |
| 5 | Anti-lock brakes | 1971 |
| 6 | Airbag | 1973 |
Previous: Spectrum #16 (Sun, Aug 30) · Next: Spectrum #18 (Tue, Sep 1)
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.