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Bottles and price

Source: Cono sur Olympiad 1996 P3

October 7, 2017
combinatoricsalgebra

Problem Statement

A shop sells bottles with this capacity: 1L,2L,3L,...,1996L1L, 2L, 3L,..., 1996L, the prices of bottles satifies this 22 conditions: 11. Two bottles have the same price, if and only if, your capacities satifies mn=1000m - n = 1000 22. The price of bottle mm(1001>m>01001>m>0) is 1996m1996 - m dollars. Find all pair(s) mm and nn such that: a) m+n=1000m + n = 1000 b) the cost is smallest possible!!! c) with the pair, the shop can measure kk liters, with 0<k<19960<k<1996(for all kk integer) Note: The operations to measure are: i) To fill or empty any one of two bottles ii)Pass water of a bottle for other bottle We can measure kk liters when the capacity of one bottle plus the capacity of other bottle is equal to kk