SOLUTION: I need to fill unit orders between 1 and 1000 pieces of candy. I only have 10 different bag sizes. How many pieces should be in each bag to fill any quantity ordered between 1 and

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Question 596598: I need to fill unit orders between 1 and 1000 pieces of candy. I only have 10 different bag sizes. How many pieces should be in each bag to fill any quantity ordered between 1 and 1000 without using two of any size?
Answer by richard1234(7193) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Use ten bags that can hold 1, 2, 4, 8, ..., 512 pieces of candy. This is because every integer has a unique binary representation (e.g. 683 = 1010101111, 512+128+32+8+4+2+1). By using ten bags, you can hold any amount up to 1023 (2^10 - 1) pieces of candy.