2012 UNCO Math Contest II Problems/Problem 9
Problem
Treasure Chest . You have a long row of boxes. The 1st box contains no coin. The next
boxes each contain
coin. The next
boxes each contain
coins. The next
boxes each
contain
coins. And so on, so that there are
boxes containing exactly
coins.
(a) If you combine the coins from all the boxes that contain , or
coins you get
coins. How many coins do you get when you combine the coins from all the boxes that
contain
or
coins? Give a closed formula in terms of
. That is, give a
formula that does not use ellipsis
or summation notation.
(b) Combine the coins from the first boxes. What is the smallest value of
for which
the total number of coins exceeds
? (Remember to count the first box.)