Problem 193 (E) of Novemnber 23, 2004The students in a freshmn psychology class at a large midwestern university demonstrated the scientific approach to wasting time by playing a game called “Point.” Each of the fifteen students in the class, and the professor (Asyu Lyket), had a deck of 17 cards, numbered 1 to 17. All of the decks were chuffled and placed face down on the desks. Everyone turned the cards over simultaenously, one at a time. If a student’s card matched that of Professor Lyket in a given turnover, that student scored one point. At the end of one game, no student had 0 points, no students had 15 points, and no two students had the same number of points. Bart had the second highest number of points. How many points did Bart have?
The Answer
Bart has 14 points.
NOTE: A complete and detailed solution for this problem may be obtained from the Math and Science secretary in Dana Hall.