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musejoy
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Minimum number of pencils 28 Nov 2015, 03:31
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There is a box with 30 pencils. There are 6 pencils each having the same colour.
eg.. 6 blue pencils, 6 red..etc.
What are the a) minimum and b) maximum number of pencils to be selected, so that
there are atleast 2 pencils of each colour?

Wanted to know the solution or approach for this please?



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Minimum number of pencils 28 Nov 2015, 10:59
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Hi chetan2u,

not that easy :)

Sorry, part of the question was wrong!
please forget b) maximum number of pencils.

I am just looking for answer to a)minimum number of pencils

it's like there should be atleast 2 pencils of each colour(out of 5 colours) ,
and how many minimum pencils have to be withdrawn?
the answer that came to my mind during the test was 2*5 = 10,
but was not available in the choices..the choices all were in the 20s
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Minimum number of pencils 28 Nov 2015, 12:12
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musejoy
Hi chetan2u,

not that easy :)

Sorry, part of the question was wrong!
please forget b) maximum number of pencils.

I am just looking for answer to a)minimum number of pencils

it's like there should be atleast 2 pencils of each colour(out of 5 colours) ,
and how many minimum pencils have to be withdrawn?
the answer that came to my mind during the test was 2*5 = 10,
but was not available in the choices..the choices all were in the 20s
Show more

Hi,
if it is asking 2 of each colour, and i take the Q must be minimum required to be sure that we have 2 of each colour..
in this Q , the answer will be..
worst scenario that we get all six of each colour one by one..
so 4*6+2=26..
But i think you require to reproduce the Q correctly with choices to enable someone respond to your query correctly..
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Minimum number of pencils 28 Nov 2015, 13:56
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Hi musejoy,

The 'intent' of this question is probably meant to be "What is the minimum number of pencils that must be drawn to GUARANTEE that we end up with 2 pencils of EACH color?"

In these sorts of questions, we have to think about the 'worst-case scenario', meaning how many pencils could we possibly draw and not achieve the 'goal' until the last possible pencil.

Since we're asked to pull 2 pencils of EACH color, we could grab ALL of the pencils from 4 of the 5 colors, then grab 2 of the last color. THAT would be the worst-case scenario.

4(6) + 2 = 26 pencils

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Minimum number of pencils 29 Nov 2015, 09:31
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EMPOWERgmatRichC
Hi musejoy,

The 'intent' of this question is probably meant to be "What is the minimum number of pencils that must be drawn to GUARANTEE that we end up with 2 pencils of EACH color?"

In these sorts of questions, we have to think about the 'worst-case scenario', meaning how many pencils could we possibly draw and not achieve the 'goal' until the last possible pencil.

Since we're asked to pull 2 pencils of EACH color, we could grab ALL of the pencils from 4 of the 5 colors, then grab 2 of the last color. THAT would be the worst-case scenario.

4(6) + 2 = 26 pencils

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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thanks for the explanation Rich :)
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Minimum number of pencils 30 Nov 2015, 05:03
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musejoy
EMPOWERgmatRichC
Hi musejoy,

The 'intent' of this question is probably meant to be "What is the minimum number of pencils that must be drawn to GUARANTEE that we end up with 2 pencils of EACH color?"

In these sorts of questions, we have to think about the 'worst-case scenario', meaning how many pencils could we possibly draw and not achieve the 'goal' until the last possible pencil.

Since we're asked to pull 2 pencils of EACH color, we could grab ALL of the pencils from 4 of the 5 colors, then grab 2 of the last color. THAT would be the worst-case scenario.

4(6) + 2 = 26 pencils

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

thanks for the explanation Rich :)
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Hi there,
This topic has been closed and archived due to inactivity or violation of community quality standards. No more replies are possible here.
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Thank you for understanding, and happy exploring!