Olympiad problems

1997 Tournament Of Towns, (535) 7

You are given a balance and one copy of each of ten weights of $1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256$ and $512$ grams. An object weighing $M$ grams, where $M$ is a positive integer, is put on one of the pans and may be balanced in different ways by placing various combinations of the given weights on either pan of the balance. (a) Prove that no object may be balanced in more than $89$ ways. (b) Find a value of $M$ such that an object weighing $M$ grams can be balanced in $89$ ways. (A Shapovalov, A Kulakov)

2003 All-Russian Olympiad Regional Round, 10.8

Tags: combinatorics , weighing

In a set of 17 externally identical coins, two are counterfeit, differing from the rest in weight. It is known that the total weight of two counterfeit coins is twice the weight of a real one.s it always possible to determine the couple of counterfeit coins, having made $5$ weighings on a cup scale without weights? (It is not necessary to determine which of the fakes is heavier.)

2000 All-Russian Olympiad Regional Round, 9.6

Tags: weighing , combinatorics

Among $2000$ outwardly indistinguishable balls, wines - aluminum weighing 1$0$ g, and the rest - duralumin weighing $9.9$ g. It is required to select two piles of balls so that the masses of the piles are different, and the number of balls in them - the same. What is the smallest number of weighings on a cup scale without weights that can be done?

1992 Tournament Of Towns, (328) 5

Tags: combinatorics , weighing

$50$ silver coins ordered by weight and $51$ gold coins also ordered by weight are given. All coins have different weights. You are given a balance to compare weights of any two coins. How can you find the “middle” coin (that occupying the $51$st place in weight among all $101$ coins) using $7$ weighings? (A. Andjans)

1997 All-Russian Olympiad Regional Round, 9.3

Tags: weighing , combinatorics , algebra

There are 300 apples, any two of which differ in weight by no more than three times. Prove that they can be arranged into bags of four apples each so that any two bags differ in weight by no more than than one and a half times.

1990 Tournament Of Towns, (252) 6

Tags: weighing , combinatorics

We call a collection of weights (each weighing an integer value) basic if their total weight equals $200$ and each object of integer weight not greater than $200$ can be balanced exactly with a uniquely determined set of weights from the collection. (Uniquely means that we are not concerned with order or which weights of equalc value are chosen to balance against a particular object, if in fact there is a choice.) (a) Find an example of a basic collection other than the collection of $200$ weights each of value $1$. (b) How many different basic collections are there? (D. Fomin, Leningrad)

1990 All Soviet Union Mathematical Olympiad, 534

Tags: combinatorics , weighing

Given $2n$ genuine coins and $2n$ fake coins. The fake coins look the same as genuine coins but weigh less (but all fake coins have the same weight). Show how to identify each coin as genuine or fake using a balance at most $3n$ times.

1947 Moscow Mathematical Olympiad, 133

Tags: combinatorics , weighing , game strategy

Twenty cubes of the same size and appearance are made of either aluminum or of heavier duralumin. How can one find the number of duralumin cubes using not more than $11$ weighings on a balance without weights? (We assume that all cubes can be made of aluminum, but not all of duralumin.)

2004 All-Russian Olympiad Regional Round, 8.2

Tags: combinatorics , weighing

There is a set of weights with the following properties: 1) It contains 5 weights, pairs of different weights. 2) For any two weights, there are two other weights of the same total weight. What is the smallest number of weights that can be in this set?

1974 Bundeswettbewerb Mathematik, 2

Tags: weighing , combinatorics

There are $30$ apparently equal balls, $15$ of which have the weight $a$ and the remaining $15$ have the weight $b$ with $a \ne b$. The balls are to be partitioned into two groups of $15$, according to their weight. An assistant partitioned them into two groups, and we wish to check if this partition is correct. How can we check that with as few weighings as possible?

2000 Tournament Of Towns, 5

Tags: weighing , combinatorics

A weight of $11111$ grams is placed in the left pan of a balance. Weights are added one at a time, the first weighing $1$ gram, and each subsequent one weighing twice as much as the preceding one. Each weight may be added to either pan. After a while, equilibrium is achieved. Is the $16$ gram weight placed in the left pan or the right pan? ( AV Kalinin)

Kvant 2025, M2833

Tags: combinatorics , weighing

There are a) $26$; b) $30$ identical-looking coins in a circle. It is known that exactly two of them are fake. Real coins weigh the same, fake ones too, but they are lighter than the real ones. How can you determine in three weighings on a cup scale without weights whether there are fake coins lying nearby or not?? [i]Proposed by A. Gribalko[/i]

1984 All Soviet Union Mathematical Olympiad, 385

Tags: combinatorics , weighing

There are scales and $(n+1)$ weights with the total weight $2n$. Each weight is an integer. We put all the weights in turn on the lighter side of the scales, starting from the heaviest one, and if the scales is in equilibrium -- on the left side. Prove that when all the weights will be put on the scales, they will be in equilibrium.

1989 All Soviet Union Mathematical Olympiad, 495

Tags: combinatorics , weighing

We are given $1998$ normal coins, $1$ heavy coin and $1$ light coin, which all look the same. We wish to determine whether the average weight of the two abnormal coins is less than, equal to, or greater than the weight of a normal coin. Show how to do this using a balance $4$ times or less.