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The Perfect Way To Slice a Pizza

Posted by samzenpus on from the equal-distribution-of-the-pie dept.

iamapizza writes "New Scientist reports on the quest of two math boffins for the perfect way to slice a pizza. It's an interesting and in-depth article; 'The problem that bothered them was this. Suppose the harried waiter cuts the pizza off-center, but with all the edge-to-edge cuts crossing at a single point, and with the same angle between adjacent cuts. The off-center cuts mean the slices will not all be the same size, so if two people take turns to take neighboring slices, will they get equal shares by the time they have gone right round the pizza — and if not, who will get more?' This is useful, of course, if you're familiar with the concept of 'sharing' a pizza."

5 of 282 comments (clear)

  1. The results are less interesting by Opportunist · · Score: 3, Interesting

    than the story that led to the project, I bet.

    Shows you that even geeks have parties sometimes. We just have different topics between the question who pays for the pizza and who gets the last slice.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  2. Tricks from insiders by Just+Some+Guy · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I worked at a couple of pizza places when I was in high school. There are actually two perfect ways to slice a pizza:

    1. On a large pizza, make two parallel cuts maybe 3/4" apart on either side of the midline. Set the long, skinny slice aside. The pizza will still appear round, within normal limits of eccentricity. Continue slicing as normal, box it, and send it. Eat the long, skinny slice. Repeat until you are no longer hungry.
    2. Starting slicing from the center of the pizza and working outward. Eyeball it (which you should be pretty good at, since you've sliced thousands of pizzas and you're well-fed for the evening) and carve the pie into 11 or 13 slices. Wonder later if people are still trying to figure out where the extra slice came from, or which greedy SOB ate one piece more than they should have.
    --
    Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
    1. Re:Tricks from insiders by Dread_ed · · Score: 4, Interesting

      For some reason the assumption is that everyone wants the same size slice of pizza. I disagree. I prefer a pizza with a variety of slice sizes.

      For instance, large slices are good for large appetites/people (men), while medium and small slices are good for smaller appetitets/people(women and children). Also, the small ones are a perfect finisher when you have just consumed a number of large slices and are just about to bust.

      Also, the slice porportion and their accompanying aesthetics are important. Somedays the fat-looking big slices that are almost a fourth of the pizza look best. Other times the skinny ones that are so slim they can't even legitamately accommodate an intact piece of pepperoni appeal to me. Proportion can weigh as heavily as quantity and distribution of toppings when it comes to choosing the perfect slice.

      Personally, I would be interested in a cutting pattern that guaranteed the most variety of slice sizes.

      --
      When the only tool you have is a claw hammer every problem starts to look like the back of someone's skull.
  3. Cut it into 5... by AliasMarlowe · · Score: 2, Interesting

    ...equal pieces, for a potentially amusing drunkard's challenge.
    Cutting the pizza into 10 and combining slices is considered ungentlemanly behavior (i.e. cheating) in this particular sport.

    --
    Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. - Voltaire
  4. Re:Unsure. by FlyingBishop · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Not necessarily. A metric pizza would have a circumference of 1 meter, and therefore have a diameter of roughly 30 cm. With a diameter of 100/pi, you would have a radius of 50/pi, and an area of 10,000/pi cm2. Dividing that up into six slices would give you a little over 500cm2 per person, which is about as round a number as one might expect. 10 slices gives 300 cm2, which is in no way metric.