An elimination boxing tournament was organized. There were 114 participants and so there were 57 matches in the first round of the tournament. In the second round, the 57 fighters remaining were paired, resulting in 28 matches; one fighter received a bye (that is, did not have to fight in that round). The 29 fighters remaining were then paired, and so on
(a) How many matches in all were required to determine a winner of the tournament
(b) How many matches would be required if n people participated in the tournament (where n represents a fixed but unspecified whole number)
An elimination boxing tournament was organized. There were 114 participants and so there were 57 matches in the first round of the tournament. In the second round, the 57 fighters remaining were paired, resulting in 28 matches; one fighter received a bye (that is, did not have to fight in that round). The 29 fighters remaining were then paired, and so on
(a) How many matches in all were required to determine a winner of the tournament
(b) How many matches would be required if n people participated in the tournament (where n represents a fixed but unspecified whole number)