Twenty-Five Horses
You have 25 horses and a track that races exactly 5 at a time, with no timer; you learn only the finishing order of each race. What is the minimum number of races needed to guarantee finding the fastest three horses, in order?
Related problems & prerequisites
Worth solving first
- Wolf, Goat, and Cabbage 5.0/10
- The Bridge at Night 5.0/10
Source: Classic tournament-sorting puzzle in wide circulation, long used as an interview question. Statement written for AxiomIQ.