Problem

Source: 46th International Tournament of Towns, Senior O-Level P5, Fall 2024

Tags: combinatorics



There is a balance without weights and there are two piles of stones of unknown masses, 10 stones in each pile. One is allowed an unlimited number of weighing iterations, but only 9 stones at most fit on any plate of the balance. Is it always possible to determine which stone pile is heavier or establish that they are equal? Sergey Dorichenko