Question 42
Let $a \ge 2018$ be a real number. There are 2018 bowls, each containing a finite number of balls. It is known that the weight of each ball is of the form $a^k$, where $k$ is an integer, and that the total weight of balls in any bowl is the same. Let $B$ denote the total number of occurrences of the most frequently used weight.
Determine the smallest possible value of $B$.
Determine the smallest possible value of $B$.