The 30 members of a club decided to play a badminton singles tournament. Every time a member loses a game he is out of the tournament. There are no ties. What is the minimum number of matches that must be played to determine the winner ? Choose the correct option:	A) 15	B) 29	C) 61	D) 72	E) None of these
Explanation:   Clearly, every member except one (i.e. the winner) must lose one game to decide the winner. Thus, minimum number of matches to be played = 30 - 1= 
<gadget id="calculator">30 - 1</gadget>
<output>29</output>
29.   Answer: 29
<result>B</result>
The 30 members of a club decided to play a badminton singles tournament. Every time a member loses a game he is out of the tournament. There are no ties. What is the minimum number of matches that must be played to determine the winner ?