Saturday, 9 November 2024

1238 - READY

Aziz and MackEnzie are mathematicians who, in 2014, set out to develop a new 'cake cutting algoRithm' that could work for any number of participants. The 'cake cutting algorithms' is the problem where two or more people or tribe need to share a cake or land in such a way that everyone is satisfied that they don't feel hard done by. It is a problem known since ancient times and is even described in Genesis where Abram divides the land with Lot - Abram divides, Lot chooses. Mathematicians in more recent times have developed a method for three parties but no more, unless you employ endless calculations by computer without knowing how long it would take. Aziz and Mackenzie were newcomers and spent two years before they were ready to publish their method which would solve the problem within a finite number of moves, although the number of moves is greater than the number of known atoms in the universe! [With thanks to The Mathematics of Cutting a Cake, October 2016]

The Mathematics of Cutting a Cake
The Mathematics of Cutting a Cake

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Introduction

482 - FLOOR

“LO and behold, there's  flour  on the  floor .” exclaimed Denise. “I wonder if Ethan has been making a cake?” she thought.