Using only 2, 5, 10, 25 and 50 paise coins, what is the smallest number of coins required to pay exactly 78 paise, 69 paise and Rs. 1.01 to three different persons?
The goal is to pay three separate amounts using the smallest possible total number of coins. To achieve this, we should use a "greedy" approach for each amount: use as many of the largest value coins as possible for each payment.
Available coin denominations: 50 paise, 25 paise, 10 paise, 5 paise, and 2 paise.
To make 78 paise with the minimum number of coins:
Total coins for 78p = 1 + 2 + 4 = 7 coins.
To make 69 paise with the minimum number of coins:
Total coins for 69p = 1 + 1 + 1 + 2 = 5 coins.
To make 101 paise with the minimum number of coins:
Total coins for 101p = 1 + 1 + 2 + 3 = 7 coins.
The smallest total number of coins required is the sum of the coins for each separate payment.
7 (for 78p) + 5 (for 69p) + 7 (for 101p) = 19 coins
Final Answer: The smallest number of coins required is 19.
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