You ’ve been shorten your bar wrong , says Math . Here ’s a better , more mathematically accurate method for slice up a patty .
In this video from Numberphile , Alex Bellos digs up a more than 100 - year - old edition of Nature and study a varsity letter to the editor from Francis Galton detail Galton ’s method for cut a Christmas cake ( though mathematically , birthday bar and daily cake can also be deputise ) so as to keep it sweet over days .
The traditional method of cutting the cake into wedges Galton regards with finical horror , as potential to result in a ironical , disappointing mess . So what does Galton suggest instead ? cut into chord , then tie the patty ’s edges together , as you could see shew in the video below .
Bellos describe Galton ’s method acting as staring “ for the mathematical lone wolf who do n’t want to share their cake . ” Of course , there ’s also a passably good numerical ( and societal ) argument for slicing a cake up in the classic wedge shape formation , and then just finishing up the cake in one go , too .
Top image : Robert W. Howington .
math
Daily Newsletter
Get the right tech , science , and culture news in your inbox day by day .
News from the future tense , present to your present .
You May Also Like
