Maths Olympiad Prep

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Combinatorics Difficulty 5.0 AIME, harder Find the answer

When will A say yes if A will say yes when B says no to n1n-1 or nn?

A number or a short expression. Fractions can be typed as 3/2, and spacing doesn't matter.

Solution

A will say yes when B says no to n1n-1 or nn, as A will then know B's number is one greater than A's number. Thus, A responds first, after n12\frac{n-1}{2} 'no' responses if nn is odd, after n2\frac{n}{2} 'no' responses if nn is even.

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