There are 13 weights. It is known that any 12 of them could be placed in 2 scale cups with 6 weights in each cup in such a way that balance will be held.
Prove the mass of all the weights is the same, if it is known that:
a) the mass of each weight in grams is an integer;
b) the mass of each weight in grams is a rational number;
c) the mass of each weight could be any real (not negative) number.
In the cabinet of Anchuria there are 100 ministers. Among them there are honest and dishonest ministers. It is known that out of any ten ministers, at least one minister is dishonest. What is the smallest number of dishonest ministers there could be in the cabinet?
This problem is from Ancient Rome.
A rich senator died, leaving his wife pregnant. After the senator’s death it was found out that he left a property of 210 talents (an Ancient Roman currency) in his will as follows: “In the case of the birth of a son, give the boy two thirds of my property (i.e. 140 talents) and the other third (i.e. 70 talents) to the mother. In the case of the birth of a daughter, give the girl one third of my property (i.e. 70 talents) and the other two thirds (i.e. 140 talents) to the mother.”
The senator’s widow gave birth to twins: one boy and one girl. This possibility was not foreseen by the late senator. How can the property be divided between three inheritors so that it is as close as possible to the instructions of the will?