1,000,000 piles of 1996 coins, fakes and reals
Source: 1996 Estonia National Olympiad Final Round grade 10 p3
November 4, 2020
combinatorics
Problem Statement
There are piles of coins in each of them, and in one pile there are only fake coins, and in all the others - only real ones. What is the smallest weighing number that can be used to determine a heap containing counterfeit coins if the scales used have one bowl and allow weighing as much weight as desired with an accuracy of one gram, and it is also known that each counterfeit coin weighs grams, and each real coin weighs grams?