October 18, 2011

Problem of the Week

for Tuesday, October 18, 2011

You have 2 marbles. You wish to determine the lowest floor from which marbles will shatter when dropped from the Saint Ann's building onto the concrete below. (Don't actually try this!!) Once a marble shatters, it can not be used again. What is the smallest # of trials required in order to guarantee that you can determine the lowest floor (from 1 to 13) from which marbles shatter. Explain your sequence of trials.

Winners of the two-marble challenge