5 rare giveaway

[Wackaman9001]

Is it the minimum with everything going just right?  Or minimum to make sure you will get the right coin? This is not a guess, could I go measure one against another, have one of those be the lighter one, then switch one of the coins, if the scale balances, it's the one you took out, if it still is heavier on one side, it's the one that you kept?

Minimum to be completely certain. You can measure however you want but you don't have weight per se, only comparisons

[Wackaman9001]

7 is wrong, sorry

[Vindog]

12

[Wackaman9001]

12

Nope

[Mattao19]

Similar to a previous guess but:
1. Divide into 4 piles of 3
2. Weigh them and find what pile of 3 is off balance (like 2 piles will balance the other 2 won't.
3. Weigh one of the unbalanced piles with a balanced pile of 3 if they weigh the same you know that the other pile is unbalanced.
4. Now knowing the unbalanced pile of 3 weigh them against each other until you know what one is a different weight (max. 3 tests)

For a total of 4 steps and 6 weigh scale tests

[Wackaman9001]

6 scale tests is too many

[Mattao19]

Dang

[Wackaman9001]

Hint time! Thefirst step is to divide the coins in to 3 groups of 4

[Wackaman9001]

Nope, but you are on the right track

[Vindog]

4

[Thetrufflehunter]

4

You have to give the steps.

[Coffee Vampire]

1) divide into 6 groups of 2
2) locate the pair that does not match with each other. One of those 2 coins is the culprit.
3) switch both coins out with 2 other sets. The one that is makes the other unbalanced is the coin.

3 is the answer.

[Wackaman9001]

1) divide into 6 groups of 2
2) locate the pair that does not match with each other. One of those 2 coins is the culprit.
3) switch both coins out with 2 other sets. The one that is makes the other unbalanced is the coin.

3 is the answer.

That is using the scale too many times

[Vindog]

Divide the 12 into 2 groups of 6
Take the group that doesn't match and make 2 groups of 3 then weigh each against each other and you find your coin

[Thetrufflehunter]

Divide into 3 groups of 4. (Step one, no scale use).
Balance A against B. lets say they weigh the same. (Step 2, one scale use).
Split C into to stacks of 2 and A into to stacks of 2 (step 3, one scale use).
Balance C1 against A1. (Step 4. 2 scale uses).
If they weigh the same it's in C2, which we will say is true.
Divide C2 into A and B, each one coin. (Step 5, 2 scale uses).
Weigh either of those against any other coin besides the other one. (Step 6, 3 scale uses).
If they weigh the same, (A and something else) then B is the odd one. If they are different, A is the odd one.
6 steps, although could be condensed due to wording, and 3 scale uses.