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Ready, action…,CUT! (Posted on 2012-05-16) |
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Four math students ordered three pizzas: one large (55 cm diameter), one medium (44 cm diameter) and one small (33 cm diameter).
Upon delivery they decided to divide it fairly between them by cutting the pizzas into the fewest number of pieces.
Ignoring the toppings and assuming uniformity of thickness please provide a solution with less than 6 pieces.
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Submitted by Ady TZIDON
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Rating: 3.0000 (2 votes)
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Solution:
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(Hide)
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The three diameters form a right-angled triangle (3:4:5), so the two smaller pizzas are exactly equal to the large bun. Therefore, if we give David and Edgar the two halves, they will have their fair shares—one quarter of the confectionery each. Then if we place the small pizza, on the top of the remaining one and trace its circumference , Fred's piece will exactly equal Harry's small pizza, with the addition of half the rim of the other.
Thus each boy gets an exactly equal share, and there are only five pieces necessary.
An abridged original solution of Dudeney's puzzle #149. |
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