Spectrum #72: Order these places by water's boiling point — the solution

The Spectrum puzzle from October 25, 2026: six things on one hidden scale, lowest to highest, with every figure and where the checks were best spent.

The puzzle

Order these places by water's boiling point, lowest at the top and highest at the bottom. The board opened in this order:

1. Denver
2. Everest's summit
3. Everest Base Camp
4. Sea level
5. The Dead Sea shore
6. Mexico City

Nothing was in its place; Denver opened 3 places from home.

The walkthrough

The ends first. Everest's summit is the lowest of the six at 154 °F and The Dead Sea shore the highest at 214 °F. Anchor those and the middle four are what is left to place.

Where the scale splits. The widest gap is between Everest's summit (154 °F) and Everest Base Camp (187 °F) — 33 °F apart. Everything above that line belongs on the lowest side and everything below it on the highest side, so sorting the six into those two groups is most of the puzzle.

The closest call. Sea level (212 °F) and The Dead Sea shore (214 °F) are only 2 °F 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

Previous: Spectrum #71 (Sat, Oct 24) · Next: Spectrum #73 (Mon, Oct 26) · All Spectrum solutions

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.