MathDB
Yet another hard weighting problem

Source: Kvant Magazine No. 5 2023 M2749

January 9, 2024
combinatoricsweights

Problem Statement

We have nn{} 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 nn{} can we determine which coin is fake and whether it is lighter or heavier than the real coins, in at most kk{} weightings?
Proposed by A. Zaslavsky