Very small programs to improve programming skills?

I realize that to become a better programmer, you need to program! So obviously the more practice, the better you become.

I need a hint to start on this programming puzzle

You have a room-full of balances and weights. Each balance weighs ten pounds and is considered perfectly balanced when the sum of weights on its left and right sides are exactly the same. You have placed some weights on some of the balances, and you have placed some of the balances on other balances. Given a description of how the balances are arranged and how much additional weight is on each balance, determine how to add weight to the balances so that they are all perfectly balanced.