A Bacterial Buffet A biologist keeps dangerous bacteria of six
different kinds in a long glass tube
separated into six chambers by membranes.
She has noticed that, if she removes a
membrane, bacteria start fighting their
neighbours.
Those which are in a minority always die,
together with an equal number of the
enemy. Equal colonies eat each other
completely!
Originally, there were a million bacteria of
the first kind, two million of the second, and
so on, up to six million of the sixth kind.
Is it possible for her to open the membranes
in turn in some order so that no bacteria
survived? Explain your answer.