The Wimbledon
Probability
Level
2
177 people are participating in a (fair) knock - out singles tennis tournament. What is the minimum number of matches that have to be played to decide the winner, if there can only be one winner ?
The answer is 176.
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1 solution
If we rephrase the question, the answer will be more apparent :
How many games have to be played to knock out 176 players?
Well, in every game, one person is knocked therefore 176 games have to be played to knock out 176 players, leaving one remaining (the winner)