The Scientific Way to Cut a Cake - Numberphile

The man who loved circles (Objectivity): • The Man Who Loved Circ...
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A trilogy of mathematical cake cutting videos... bit.ly/CakeCuttingTrilogy
More links & stuff in full description below ↓↓↓
Alex Bellos on cutting a cake using scientific principles.
Extra footage at Numberphile2: • Cake Cutting (An Extra...
Alex's book (US): amzn.to/1nDS4mM
and (UK): bit.ly/AlexLooking
The Francis Galton paper: bit.ly/galtoncake
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[@steve1978ger]

Unless it's a mathematician's party, stating "You're cutting this cake in a very faulty way" will probably result in not being invited again.

[@Danscottmusic]

+steve1978ger Who was that person at the party last night who didn't talk to anyone and kept measuring the cake with a ruler and a protractor?

[@steve1978ger]

Daniel Scott - love at first visual contact.

[@Pikakeung]

steve1978ger That's exactly the reason why that person knows and uses this method.

[@anykeyh]

404 likes to your comment... Which comment?

[@eastpavilion-er6081]

If it's a party, the cake will be gone on day 1. So no need to cut cake like that.

[@leannb2513]

alternative solution: eat the entire cake in one sitting

[@drearyburritos1354]

I hope you dont do that...

[@steve1978ger]

+Leann Beckman - just start digging into it with a spoon, preferably from the middle out, rawrr gnam cake drool

[@Keshaire]

+Leann Beckman I commented the same thing right before reading your comment. xD

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

I wont eat a cake that isnt chocolate cake :)

[@BiscuitZombies]

same xD

[@christophergaspar6520]

nice statement at the end he kept it obvious "this is for mathematical loners who don't want to share their cakes"

[@SickSkilz]

This is a great way for a single guy with no friends to ensure that the suffering another birthday alone is drawn out for as many days as possible.

[@rileyweisman3789]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 thanks for the laugh 4 years later

[@JoshuaRobertMoser]

I think he's overestimating how long a cake lasts in the average household.

[@prosincr]

If you don't have restraint

[@prosincr]

Joshua Moser lol

[@2h4d0wDK]

But he isn't basing it on the average household

[@EionBlue]

+Dilip Tien It's a cake, how much restraint could you possibly have?

[@austinbarton6874]

It must be nice to eat cake with other people. I never finish my birthday cakes.

[@karffiol]

everybody knows there is no day two for a cake

[@thecrystalcrystals9242]

Not if you're like me, there isn't...

[@ACTlVISION]

This is like the epitome of the difference between engineer and mathematician. Engineer knows ain't nobody leaving cake for tomorrow.

[@thecrystalcrystals9242]

WHAT THE PLANTS CRAVE now THAT'S scientifically accurate. But jokes aside, I think we're missing the point of this video

[@theawesomesausage]

especially in the US.

[@arj290]

Day two? There's no minute ten for cakes!

[@GoBobe]

I did this to my own birthday cake 2 years ago, and i was almost crucified by my own family in the sushi restaurant. 😓😑

[@joojok72]

Rip

[@ajayananddwivedi7154]

😂😂😂

[@ZapPack]

Oof lol

[@amaanali9525]

Stfu and sym and syf den.

[@iskambillordu]

F

[@apriljones1381]

“Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.”

[@wjrasmussen666]

Cake ah ah ah ah, finds a way

[@EnchantedJewelzEmpire]

😂😂😂 CLASSIC

[@AngelofHogwarts]

What is this foreign concept of a "leftover cake"?

[@rollyatm55]

LOL best comment :D

[@thecrystalcrystals9242]

Sorry, JesusMySavior, I don't speak this outlandish language of yours. What is this "lëftóvêr càke" you speak of? Please translate to English

[@MrGsteele]

It's roughly akin to the hysterical notion of leftover wine, only without the hangover.

[@sayonmondal3454]

Hi I am informing you after 2 years that you've got 1K + likes! Congratulations

[@Aakash_Goswami1]

@@sayonmondal3454 Hi I am informing you after 5 months that you've got 1 like! (from me) Congratulations!

[@DizzIlike]

People's faces when I cut the cake at the next birthday party...

[@lisa2608]

Actually imagining this made me laugh

[@yarullinaguliya7285]

Soo weird faces, lol😂😂😂

[@everby9998]

The kids actually devour the cake within minutes

[@lunapotter5593]

😂😂😂

[@gekkouga2828]

...will be terrible and they will see you as a mad-man.

[@thechickennuggetoffate9139]

*_"Maximizing the amount of gastronomic pleasure"_*

[@Disturbeduser3147]

😂Lol i read this coment as soon as he said this lol😂

[@Chandragauda01]

@@Disturbeduser3147 wtf same

[@manofthemoon1513]

Fun fact: The true number of views of a video about “301” will be much higher than the number of views of this video😂

[@joshhirst8762]

In the description of the 301 views video it says that the true number of views is just over 15 million, while this video has over 16 million views

[@JohnDoeSteveAustin]

@@joshhirst8762 The last update is 8 month old, so it’s possible that in 8 months that video surpassed 16m views

[@fryhyh]

Look at the likes here compared to the 301 video lol

[@chetankumar9463]

In that video it was explained that views increase after one day. But in that views are still 301.why so??

[@ChrisChras]

@@joshhirst8762 that was a while ago, so it obviously has more views by now lol. Especially people got that on their recommended.

[@mordaren]

This might be satisfying for mathematicians, but a physicist will point out that the rubber band will stretch when put in a cool refridgerator. Thus the effect of the rubber band is nullified, and you've opened up for up to 4 times as much surface area exposal than what you tried to get away from when simply slicing out a wedge. A potentially more satisfying way would be to simply chop disks from off the bottom of the cake.

[@IvanKaramasov11]

+mordaren *made me snicker*

[@60NXNP09]

Then you'll be left with the icing only!

[@user-pc8en9lh7u]

+mordaren well, more satisfying way will only work if the cake does not have any layers

[@checkplus]

An Engineer might disagree with your efficiency. That is, your cake to icing ratio. A slightly better solution may be to cut a normal piece, then proceed to cut the cake in half from the tip of where the piece was. Then you could close the space where you took the piece and it would stay fresh. This would leave the edges on the other side dry, but you could just cut your next piece from the same spot you took your first, and it would be fresh on both sides. As long as you closed it up after each one, every piece would be moist until the last bit, but at least you didn't ever have a piece that was 90% cake with virtually no icing.

[@Chaosproscho]

+mordaren Care to explain to me why a rubber band would expand in a cold environment and not retract?

[@AlanKey86]

Ingenious as this method may be, for solving 1 problem, I spot 2 new problems it creates: *1. Icing Overload* Near the end, when you've already gobbled up most of the cake, you'll be left with weird outside edgy bits, thick with icing but lacking sponge. The icing-sponge ratio of those last few pieces will be all wrong. *2. Tensile Stress Overload* In order to not get a massively oversized 1st slice, you'd have to cut quite a narrow block from the centre of the cake. The sponge may lack the strength to hold itself together, being so thin. At least with a wedge you maximise structural integrity by essentially having a traingular piece of cake. Thank you for reading this comment. If you enjoyed this comment, you might like to try reading other comments, such as the one below mine.

[@victorselve8349]

Also Not all cakes can simply be pushed together like this without falling apart

[@geraldsnodd]

Genius comment. 🙂👍

[@mgA757]

Your comment seems interesting.🤓

[@yahyakhan6433]

POV : you thought the 301 vid would be the most popular but realised its their least viewed vid lol

[@nathanaelsadgrove]

Love the elastic band inefficiency 😂😂

[@Ho3n3r]

If you still have cake left over from the previous day, I'm doubting it was a delicious cake to begin with.

[@CARx_2]

Not at all. Cake can fill you up

[@vomicine5928]

Sometimes cakes are big too And if you're alone then it's a different story :')

[@litigioussociety4249]

This only applies to people who actually have leftover cake.

[@englebertmagentaschweiger1447]

Those two words just don't go together in by vocabulary.

[@thecrystalcrystals9242]

So...no one, then?

[@clarkeconner5178]

Litigious Society I

[@countingcards3607]

This only applies to loners

[@roses6799]

@@thecrystalcrystals9242 me.

[@Th3enp0fdlkmax3]

Fun fact this is his most popular video but it's actually the one about 301 views

[@doivid72]

yes, I was looking for this

[@Zergeometer]

I was expecting The Banach-Tarski paradox so you cut the cake into 5 pieces, and recombine them into 2 exactly same cakes as the original one.

[@EfHaichDee]

This is why mathematicians are never taken seriously by the general public.

[@clairesun1549]

This isn't maths. And the guy isn't a mathematician.

[@justinlasker6269]

This is why you're not taken seriously by the general public.

[@RonWolfHowl]

+FHD فَهِد‎ Because they like to have fun every once in a while?

[@Zergeometer]

I guess it's because you know nothing about mathematics. Tell me what the world would be like if Newton wasn't been taken seriously?

[@aufdermitte7143]

@@RonWolfHowl It depends on what you mean by "having fun", overthinking about mundane things like how to cut a cake wouldn't classify as having fun to most people.

[@overkillsnake]

Saran Wrap? Tupperware? Aluminium foil? A covered cake stand? Maths....because we can.

[@rad1c_880]

+1, adding: Cream and not sugar coating? (for pushing the parts together)

[@timothyk3505]

What's Saran Wrap? I have never heard of that

[@KurtisBlack]

Cling film

[@Sylphadora]

Yeah, but why the waste? XD Also, if feels cool to do it out of the ordinary, lol =)

[@yogeebear2599]

well the rest of us wants to look smart

[@gonzalojara398]

Fun fact: This isn´t actually Numberphile´s most watched video.

[@yahyakhan6433]

is it the 301 vid?

[@user-el5vr8bi9j]

@@yahyakhan6433 it really is the 301 video

[@meysamkhan8801]

@@user-el5vr8bi9j nopes. The 301 views one has 15.1 mill veiws. Check the desc.

[@MKTheGreat]

@@meysamkhan8801 yeah, but the last update to that description was in January '21.

[@asheep7797]

@@meysamkhan8801 you do know they don’t update it daily

[@ROBOT_RAPHAREX]

"Are you the most popular video of Numberphile" "Yesn't"

[@mrsteffen4692]

this vid is probably mad to know it's less popular than a video with only 301 views...

[@gaeb-hd4lf]

"maximizing the amount of gastronomical pleasure" that sentence sound beautiful xd

[@hagamablabla]

I'd cut the cake that way, but the rubber bands being cut makes me sad.

[@derpman9932]

hagamablabla take of the band before cutting it. The only purpose of it is to keep the cake together during refrigeration.

[@JorgetePanete]

hagamablabla make*

[@apsiilencht74]

it was very upsetting

[@Pranav-rp8wi]

1950s : We'll have flying cars by in the future.. the future: scientific way to cut a cake.

[@MatLCF]

Except that according to 1:28 the paper was published in 1906...

[@kasajizo8963]

Zeus if you had bothered to watch the whole video, you would know that the method in the video was invented in 1906. The guy in the video hasn't invented the method. He's just educating us on an interesting piece of history.

[@JMcMillen]

If you're that much of a loner that you have nobody to share your cake with, just make cupcakes. The icing on top and paper on the sides and bottom will protect the cake from going stale.

[@stevendieudonne4027]

Not only does the cake stay moist , you also get an infinite process, which mean infinite cakes.

[@thedarkspeedninjashadittsux]

clark format But they keep getting smaller

[@jxrin]

The Dark_Speed_Ninja/ShadikkuX But it’s still infinite though :D

[@danimations1440]

Zed no it’s not, if you have one, and add a half, then add a quarter, then an eighth, etc. You don’t ever reach infinity, you don’t even get past 2, this is the same thing

[@Dexuz]

Nah its not infinite, even with a atom-wide knife the cake piece would eventually turn to be a couple molecules wide, and for our human purposes that means no cake.

[@ToperRS]

@@Dexuz Bruh it's a joke.

[@Admiralty86]

It's not genius, it's how I've always stolen slices of roomates pizza.

[@daniellebarker7205]

Admiralty86 "didn't I order an 18" pizza? This seems more like an 11" pizza"

[@MarcusCactus]

Thank you so much !!! Since Îve seen this, I cut my bread and my camembert (or Saint-Marcellin, or goat cheese) according to your cut and YES! it keeps fresh. (I live alone, bread and cheese last longer than a meal.)

[@Arthur-yf9yv]

I think I'll keep doing it the old way. I just really like triangles.

[@NNOTM]

Why is this video so much more popular than most of numberphile's videos?

[@Awgez24]

I wanted to look up different ways to cut a cake I dont want anything to do with pedophiles

[@7dmtuk87]

Gezo Lol

[@wanwoodtophat9760]

Nnotm 100th like =P

[@XxXgabbO95XxX]

That's the question i was trying to answer. Peole seems to be upset by the way he cuts the cake. Curious.

[@alrycaaeveahexendias1236]

Nnotm Probably just KZbin algorithm at work, recommending it to everyone for some reason.

[@montygordon]

The cake to icing ratio on the last slices would be bad

[@theramendutchman]

My thoughts exactly.

[@StrawberryPigeons]

Right... You just have a disgusting pile of icing at the end

[@Gamerdude753]

You guys are weird. Those would be the best slices.

[@AlessandroSistiMusic]

Yeah, the kind of cake Galton was thinking about, as I've heard about this problem, (1) was typically eaten by one person (2) was eaten over multiple days (3) did not have icing For cutting a birthday cake that's mostly or all going to get eaten at once, the conventional way seems fine, given that none of 1-3 apply to modern birthday cakes.

[@SMFrogPrincess]

@@AlessandroSistiMusic Exactly! The conventional way is the best way all the slices remain equal in size with equal amount of icing.

[@Jearbearjenkins]

You’re not maximising the amount of gastronomic pleasure - is the most scientific way of talking about enjoying food I’ve ever heard

[@DoiInthanon1897]

True statement: This is NOT the most viewed Numberphile video.

[@timepass6774]

No way, you are telling 301 views is more then 16 million lol 😂

[@9azodnwlm]

@@timepass6774 yes

[@AB3L30NE]

Yep. That 301 views is more like 301 million views

[@thepip3599]

I wish he kept going until it was crazily tiny, and he couldn't cut it anymore without squishing it.

[@michaelbauers8800]

Some sort of Planck's constant would come into play

[@kayleighmay2557]

He wouldn't have many rubber bands left...

[@PhleriusBlog]

Только если бы торт не ушёл в сингулярность, хах :) Only if the cake had not gone into a singularity, huh :)

[@apratimghosh109]

happy belated bday Brady

[@numberphile]

Apratim Ghosh thanks

[@korkiwi]

(AGAIN)

[@apratimghosh109]

:D Thanks for replying! Saw it after a year...:)

[@reign_zesati]

Apratim Ghosh LOL NO WAY😂

[@heliocentric1756]

His birthday was over two years ago

[@zetizahara]

Watching this guy use this cutting method over and over made me feel really happy and I wasn't expecting that.

[@Billie_Marie_]

I think I'm gonna have to buy my own cake just so I can text this theory! And eat 🍰 cake, of course.

[@KasGikes420]

That's also hiw you steal pizza without anyone noticing

[@Starpilot149]

Mega Mods 2 kinds of people..

[@someoneunknown6553]

Thanks Richard.

[@thisiserk]

the real question is why are you eating your birthday cake alone?

[@notbanned-minecraft-art488]

he has no friends

[@MrGsteele]

Another alternative would be to slice it horizontally, starting at the bottom and working up. The nice thing about that is the big frosting prize on the last slice for being patient. And while you are nibbling, no one notices the cake is getting smaller until it's gone . . .

[@ROBOT_RAPHAREX]

KZbin: this is Numberphile's most viewed video Nmberphile: Hold my 301 views

[@DejaMiru]

seriously.. have you heard of cling wrap? plastic wrap, glad wrap? a box with a lid?

[@kulaice]

+Declan Dias And a sheet of plastic wrap probably costs less than a bunch of rubber bands too.

[@jonnusorsa]

+Declan Dias Original plastic wrap was invented 1943, way later.

[@DejaMiru]

yeah but the title suggests its something that should still be relevant. a scientific way to heighten efficiency or equal distribution etc. not simply to reduce the lowering of moisture. something which has been more effectively solved by introduction of other methods (which doesn't ruin equal distribution and things like that lol)

[@KarstenOkk]

+jonnusorsa It's invented now

[@DejaMiru]

Nameguy did you not watch the video? he puts his hands all over the cake.. also the video doesnt show a method of not using rubber bands, hence completely irrelevant to my original comment.

[@BeliasLP]

having the taste of the old shitty rubberband around my cake is way worse then some dried up cake side....

[@chu167]

+Official Officials You can't or else it can get dried because the rubber band squishes the pieces together so they keep moist, but if you do take it off it would be dried.

[@user-dw8lv6sy2y]

이렇게 실생활에서 수학을 적용한다는 일이 정말로 재미있는 사고 인 것 같습니다. 단순히 개념을 이론에서만 끝맞히지 않고 실생활에 적용하는 모습이 돋보이는 좋은 영상이라고 생각되었습니다. 앞으로도 좋은 영상 많이 올려주셨으면 합니다.

[@rummanamarzia1288]

Wow! Awesome... From now I'll flow this method.. Lovely!!

[@AndrewWilsonStooshie]

That's a hopeless way to cut a cake. 1. I've rarely seen a birthday cake that lasts beyond the 1st day. 2. It gets extremely complicated if you want to give everyone the same sized slice (the only consideration if it's a child's birthday cake).

[@Kiki-cb3hl]

How cute of you, thinking that there will be any cake left after my birthday! haahah

[@seventhtry7209]

Bold of you to assume that the cake is going to last for so long

[@abrahamcano6195]

That method may work fine for hard-icy cakes. Soft icing (as used in Mexico) would summon a mess. I actually learned another way, cutting small arc portions, let's say, pi/6 or less depending on the diameter. Work it out inwards, until you get a cylindrical core (softest part!). If any leftovers, there's always a Pyrex or Rubbermaid hermetic container at hand.

[@VulturHS]

But who would eat a cake alone?

[@paulflute]

Invite friends to your party.. eat ALL the cake.. no problem..

[@Landofyodhas]

Sensational

[@dilaragulbaglar919]

I have an exam tomorrow and it's almost nighttime and I haven't studied yet and I am here now... Why am I like this

[@LuisAdrianPerez]

That's the reason no one invites you to birthdays Bob

[@BonzitheGonzo]

Who doesn't eat the whole cake at once? What the fuck...

[@wabio]

Everyone uses the old fashioned method because they want to have their cake and eat it too!

[@White_vegan]

This is not the most popular video on his KZbin channel😂

[@boytheodore]

Many cakes are very soft that you cannot move two parts together after cutting, especially fruit cake and cream cake.

[@dudeinoakland]

You are correct. Cakes in the video have fondant icing. Most common types like a buttercream would be too soft.

[@NOLAMarathon2010]

The original "bad" way ensures equal distribution of icing, provided that each slice subtends the same angle. In Alex's method, you can't ever just eat a single piece. You have to cut two pieces each time in order to squeeze the two halves back together. If you consume only a single piece, you have the same problem that one has with the original method.

[@hanvyj2]

Cut a piece that's half the width, twice the length? Cake volume is completely customisable, it might not look appealing though

[@NOLAMarathon2010]

ANameThatIsn'tMyOwn There's a logistics problem: a piece of cake that is 1/4" (6mm) wide can't be delivered to the plate without breaking apart. Furthermore, a piece with a high-surface-area-to-volume ratio will undergo air exchange very rapidly, losing flavor.

[@hanvyj2]

What's wrong with broken cake? It doesn't look appealing, hence my caveat :P.

[@knugenavswarje734]

ANameThatIsn'tMyOwn There will be barely any icing on it, though.

[@malcolmsmith6380]

+Tom Nally Many people like myself don't eat just 1 small piece of 1 small cake unless it's to be polite in which case someone else will have the other slice. If it's a very large cake it's probably for a event/occasion of some kind and normally most of it will get eaten on the day so if I judged it right this would work well even for a large cake.

[@auntiecarol]

This is the way we cut pizza in Wales. Never thought about extending it to cakes. MIND BLOWN!

[@edugui99999]

0:28 _Plagg entered the chat_ Let's see who knows what I'm talking about

[@cybersphere]

The problem with this analysis is that it assumes there is any cake left to put into the fridge.

[@DanDubinsky]

I'm sorry but if your icing is strong enough to resist a rubber band sinking into it, you have more things to worry about than a couple of edges getting dry. Unless of course, you are using Royal Icing or fondant. And I've worked at a Bakery for over 6 years now, and rarely do I see a cake which isn't iced with buttercream icing. But hey, if you like your cake iced with sweet modeling clay, all the more power to you.

[@Thunderpaapa]

how many friends have you lost by telling them this

[@user-to8bv]

Idk

[@jimsmedley234]

I don't recall the title to this lovely Grook or observation by the great Danish mathematician, Piet Hein, but this is the translation: "When people always try to take the very smallest piece of cake How can it also always be that that's the piece that's left for me."

[@Keshaire]

No, it's fine. We Americans typically eat the entire cake in one sitting.

[@prosincr]

What kind of American are you?

[@Keshaire]

Dilip Tien I represent all of America. North and South.

[@Buskieboy]

I thought American's ate PIE? As in Apple, with American Cheddar!

[@Keshaire]

Buskieboy Pie is the main course, cake is just the appetizer.

[@Keshaire]

Dritto1010 That's because you prefer the appetizers over the main course, chap. Many of us are this way.

[@Teamconquestplus]

I think I'd rather have a partially dry cake than one that has been molested by unwashed hands and uncleaned factory rubber bands..

[@eminemerskyler3793]

that's exactly what i came here to say!

[@wxw5014]

me 3

[@wagish9768]

There is always that one guy

[@leirose3189]

bold of you to assume I have leftover cake

[@abdullahAnzal-hy8yl]

His cutting is perfect 😊

[@hotsistersue]

So, you cut out the center and then put your filthy hands all over it and push it together. What if you have whipped cream frosting and not fondant? That could get messy.

[@vijayvaddi1482]

that's what bothered me the most.

[@anirvinvaddiyar7671]

Just use the knife then

[@olliefoxx7165]

He was referencing material from the 1800's. Perhaps they didn't have whipped cream and also needed to make cake last longer. Being a rarity for most. Your point is valid though.

[@mistercr0wbar400]

Exactly. This is idiotic and I can't even wrap my head around how bored a smart person must be to think so stupidly.

[@professorsogol5824]

@@olliefoxx7165 May I remind you that Marie Antoinette died in 1792

[@RGVLove]

who eats a birthday cake alone..... also who gets the bigger pieces?! from what I figure the cake pieces get smaller each cut..

[@mmeister8582]

+RGV Love nop, u can do them thicker

[@carultch]

+RGV Love You can use Calculus to determine where the cuts need to be for equal amounts of cake.

[@Emile.gorgonZola]

Champions eat birthday cakes alone.

[@elizabethparnell4724]

+Dracolith1 You would use this method for storing the cake though, you wouldn't give out a cake from the day earlier at your party, hence the equal sharing with the pie method as it is all used at once

[@3niknicholson]

+RGV Love ...sad lonely maths freaks...

[@jedmaegraith8542]

I like a lot of numberphile videos, but this one, this one takes the cake.

[@trungmaximlowqualitygaming9427]

Very useful when your friends argue about their piece of cake's volume is smaller than others

[@eatwelllivelonger6935]

This method works best for personal cakes that may take a while to finish. Nice that it keeps it moist. The traditional way works well with large groups who often eat majority or all of the cake right away.

[@acediamond5399]

That's exactly what I thought of when you asked what would be a better cutting technique. Well, the first cut anyways. After that, I just figured to cut more slices parallel to the first one. Here's what's wrong with it though. You are increasing the ratio of icing to cake with every slice. If you cut radial wedges (the "classic" way) you get an equal ratio for every piece. But your method starts with very low icing-to-cake ratio (as the size of the cake approaches infinity, the ratio of the first slice's ratio approaches the ratio of the thickness of the icing to the thickness of the cake), and continuously increases as the cutting continues, approaching infinity. I don't want to get one of those final 4 pieces that tastes like icing, rubber, and human hands.

[@Steelmage99]

And....the issue of people getting progressively smaller and smaller pieces of cake cannot be over-looked either. :) Who most enjoy cake for their birthdays? Kids. Who is most concerned with fairness (in regard to distribution of cake)? Kids.

[@acediamond5399]

In this case, it can not only approach infinity, but actually reach infinity -- or more correctly, "undefined" -- as well. (The icing-to-cake ratio, that is; not the size of the cake.) If you are down to just a very small remainder of the cake, and you cut the center out so that there are only 4 thin, vertical strips of icing left, then the ratio becomes undefined/infinity.

[@TCWordz]

Most cakes don't actually have icing all around though. The big issue is that it's hard to get the same size each time.

[@acediamond5399]

Tommy59375 Most cakes that I've seen do, in fact. The only ones I usually see that don't, are homemade ones that are kept in the pan until sliced.

[@matthewweitzner8956]

If someone had cut a cake like that in front of me before watching this video, I would have stopped talking to them.

[@gabrielhamoui6504]

Now the question is raised: is the cake infinite or not? If you keep on cutting the half out, the cake will never end... It’s a mathematical paradise! Infinite cake!!

[@davidkonevky7372]

Mathematically yes, but practically not quite

[@kev3d]

This is the stupidest thing I have ever seen in relation to cakes. Well done. No one eats a birthday cake one slice at a time since the purpose of a birthday cake is to enjoy it with family or friends. Secondly, the "correct" method does not yield equal slices, and "banding" the remaining halves together only works if the frosting is solid. If it is creamy, then you have a mess on your hands. Not to mention, rubber bands are not exactly sanitary.

[@wanwoodtophat9760]

kev3d 199th like =P

[@VanorstusTV]

just eat the cake all in one go, no dry bits.

[@mikmikay]

Me at 6:34am: 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 "𝙨𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙘" 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙪𝙩 𝙖 𝙘𝙖𝙠𝙚

[@user-J.M.A.I]

Nobody: Mathmaticians: *Maximizing gastronomic pleasure*

[@TheLaTasher]

The really UN-mathematical thing about this method is trying to evenly distribute individual slices to party guests. It'd be quite hard to give everyone an equal slice with this method. The traditional way suits me!

[@5gonza541]

Siyovaxsh En-sipad-zid-ana It also didn’t say practical

[@moondust2365]

@@5gonza541 It's both mathematical (sorta) and practical (kinda, but moreso than mathematical), but only if you buy the cake only for yourself without anyone else to eat it with and there's a bunch of leftovers. But if you're a normal person, you wouldn't have leftovers. Or you would have larger cake and guests to eat the cake with.

[@bouipozz]

I dont think there are guests...

[@danielsev9217]

You could evenly distribute the cake provided you carefully select the invitation list. ;)

[@jamesdlin7]

It's hard to make equal slices with wedges too, which is why a typical solution to the fairness problem is to have one person cut and the other choose (for two people; there are more complicated rules for more people). I don't see why the same approach couldn't be used for this method.

[@BrotherAlpha]

Umm... Cake doesn't last more than one day. You eat it all. That's how it is supposed to work.

[@Breifcaseguy1]

After the 3rd slice the 4th should be mirrored to maintain equal radii, what we saw was rotated 90• and as such there was part of the cake near the circumference left open due to difference of the radii of the remaining slices.

[@theofficialczex1708]

Sir Francis Galton wrote this method. He also invented the Galton board and eugenics. How fun!

[@TankiGaming]

Who cares it's not like my cake ever lasted 2 days...

[@catiepartridge5383]

If you had the amount of friends this guy apparently has, a cake can last weeks. (Although, I'd think in one sitting once he got depressed over having no friends, he could just eat the whole thing himself and at least one problem solved)

[@nancyclaire65]

If the cake is getting eaten in one day it doesn't matter which of the two ways it gets cut..

[@skebess]

What if someone chokes right before you cut his piece and dies, and the whole cake can't be eaten in one day anymore? I mean that can happen. And it even get worse the more people that choke and die before getting a piece...

[@PTNLemay]

sKebess The traditional way also makes sense in large groups because it's easier to cut equally sized pieces. With this new way you get progressively different sized slices. Which can lead to disputes!

[@falconJB]

PTNLemay Yes but this way you have a selection of different sized slices allowing everyone to take the one that best matches how much cake they want.

[@chitranchakrabortty]

sKebess This made me laugh so freakin' hard xD

[@ToveriJuri]

sKebess I don't see how that would stop the eating of the cake.

[@gruffo93]

This is a perfect example of a solution looking for a problem.

[@rd_ctrlr5311]

I always love scientific proofs as to why certain methods of eating food are just objectively better.

[@TumainiTiger1]

...or you could just wrap it in foil or clingfilm and cut it normally so its fair? otherwise you get huge slices at the start and mostly icing at the end :/

[@YipYapYoup]

Meh, it's only useful if you eat one slice a day, and you can just put some plastic wrap over it or something.

[@daliacapellan]

When he said "Day 3" 🤣🤣🤣 I was dying with laughter.

[@medialcanthus9681]

I didn't know about mathematical but I always cut a cake in such a way that it "closes" or "meets up". Like the Christmas log I also cut in middle. My reason was not the dryness but that after we have eaten we close up the cut to bring the leftover , presented nicely like a whole, to my mother or my son to take home for the kiddies. Also if there's cream, I'd smooth it a little where the parts join.

[@Chaonk]

Sorry guys. But I learned long ago that when it comes to food, it is best not to trust anyone with a British accent.

[@TylerDunphy]

BUT GORDON RAMSAY

[@lizzyvainne]

what if you're not alone? the parts won't be fair

[@saleemafayaz1662]

1:45 every mathematician loves Alex bellos' books 👍👍

[@7Seveneleven7715]

The total time he would take to calculate and cut the cake I would probably eaten it till then .