1991 AHSME Problems/Problem 15
Problem
A circular table has 60 chairs around it. There are people seated at this table in such a way that the next person seated must sit next to someone. What is the smallest possible value for ?
Solution
If we fill every third chair with a person, then the condition is satisfied, giving . Decreasing any further means there is at least one gap of , so that the person can sit themselves in the middle (seat of ) and not be next to anyone. Hence the minimum value of is .
See also
1991 AHSME (Problems • Answer Key • Resources) | ||
Preceded by Problem 14 |
Followed by Problem 16 | |
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