Among these numbers, there are $$8$$ pairs of numbers can get the sum of $$18$$($$1+17=2+16=3+15=4+14=5+13=6+12=7+11=$$$$8+10$$), and $$9$$ is useless. So in the worst case, after we choose $$9$$, we need $$8+1=9$$ more numbers to make sure a pair appears.  Thus, the answer is $$1+8+1=10$$.  Copyrighted material used with permission from Math Kangaroo in USA, NFP Inc. 
There are $$17$$ balls in a bag. Each ball has a number from $$1$$ to $$17$$ on it. We randomly pick a ball from the bag. What is the smallest number of balls we have to pick in order to be sure that we have at least one pair of balls with a sum equal to $$18$$? 
  * $$7$$ 
  * $$8$$ 
  * $$10$$ 
  * $$11$$ 