Question 5
There are$N$ boa snakes with distinct jaw sizes1,2,...,$N$ cm. A snake swallows every apple assigned to it whose diameter is at most its jaw size, and cannot swallow a larger apple. Jaw sizes cannot be recognized by appearance. In one evening, the keeper assigns any number of apples of chosen sizes to each snake; after the night he observes what each has eaten. What is the minimum total number of apples needed to determine every snake’s jaw size with certainty?
