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M2749
M2749
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Yet another hard weighting problem
Source: Kvant Magazine No. 5 2023 M2749
1/9/2024
We have
n
n{}
n
coins, one of which is fake, which differs in weight from the real ones and a two-pan scale which works correctly if the weights on the pans are different, but can show any outcome if the weights on the pans are equal. For what
n
n{}
n
can we determine which coin is fake and whether it is lighter or heavier than the real coins, in at most
k
k{}
k
weightings?Proposed by A. Zaslavsky
combinatorics
weights