abstract
The general counterfeit coin problem
Lorenz Halbeisen and Norbert Hungerbühler
Given c nickels among which there may be a counterfeit coin, which
can only be told apart by its weight being different from the others,
and moreover b balances. What is the minimal number of weighings
to decide whether there is a counterfeit nickel, if so which one it
is and whether it is heavier or lighter than a genuine nickel. We
give an answer to this question for sequential and nonsequential
strategies and we will consider the problem of more than one
counterfeit coins.