JunniferNgo

Oct.20,2015
POWCuttingthePie
Abakerbakedacherrypieandwantedtocutitdifferentlythanhenormallydid.Instead,the
bakerwantedtocutthepieintoslicesthatdidntintersectatthecenterbutkeepeachsliceconnectingto
theothersideinastraightline.Nowheneedstofigureouthowhecanmaximizethenumberofpieces
witheachnumberofslices.
Ifirstdecidedtolookatthetablegiventolookforpatternswithinthenumbersorsomethingto
helpmefindtherule.
NumberofCuts(c)

NumberofPieces(p)

Fromexamination,Ifirstnoticedathepattern:

f (p) = (c + 1)
c

1+1=2
2+1+1=4
3+2+1+1=7
4+3+2+1+1=11
5+4+3+2+1+1=16
Althoughthisequationdoeswork,IdecidedagainstusingthisbecauseIcouldntfigureoutwhat
thetopboundarywouldbeforthesummation( ),Idecidedtotryadifferentpattern.Instead,Idecided
totakeavisualapproach.FirstItriedconnectingthenumberofintersectionsofcutstothenumberof
slices.

5Slices

6Slices

7Slices

NumberofCuts
(c)

Numberof
Pieces(p)

11

16

22

29

Numberof
Intersections(i)

10

15

21

FromlookingattheintercessionInoticedthattherewasapatternbetweenthenumberofcuts,
numberofpiecesandnumberintersections.Ifoundtheequations (c + i) + 1 = p .Ihadthoughtthere
wasadirectrelevancebetweenthenumberofintersectionsandanequationbutIquicklyshovedtheidea
asidewhenapeersuggestedgraphingthechartintoagraphingcalculator.Ithennoticedthatthechart
wasturningintoaparabolaandalinearequationwouldntwork.

Withallthisinformation,IdecidedtotrytotakewhatIhadtoputittogether.Inoticedthatone
cutdividedthepieintotwopieces.Ialsorealizedthateachsummationhadtoaddonetotheoverall
piecessoIfound: f (p) = (1 + ?)/2 .IthenlookedmorecloselyatthegraphandrealizedIwouldhave
anadditional1addedtothefractionas1istheyinterceptandthat
c
wouldhavetobesquaredasthe
2
graphwasaparabola.Throughthis,Itried f (p) = 1 + (c + 1)/2 .WhenItriedthis,Icameoutwith
thislist:

f (1) = 1 + (12 + 1)/2

f (1) = 1 + (2)/2
f (1) = 1 + 1
f (1) = 2
2
f (2) = 1 + (2 + 1)/2

f (2) = 1 + (4 + 1)/2
f (2) = 1 + 5/2
f (2) = 15/2

IstoppedmyselffromcontinuingasInoticedthattheequationwouldntworkwith f (2) soI

lookedatwhatchangeswouldmakeitwork.Inoticedthatif f (2) = 1 + (4 + 1)/2 hadbeen
f (2) = 1 + (4 + 2)/2 instead,theequationwouldveworked.Sotochangethat,Iturnedtheequation
into f (p) = 1 + p(p + 1)/2 soIcouldkeepthe p squaredandendupsubtractingby2.
f (2) = 1 + 2(2 + 1)/2
f (2) = 1 + (4 + 2)/2
f (2) = 1 + 6/2
f (2) = 1 + 3
f (2) = 4

Afterprovingtwocorrect,Itriedtoprovetheothernumbercorrectly.
f (3) = 1 + 3(3 + 1)/2
f (3) = 1 + (9 + 3)/2
f (3) = 1 + 12/2
f (3) = 1 + 6
f (3) = 7
f (4) = 1 + 4(4 + 1)/2
f (4) = 1 + (16 + 4)/2
f (4) = 1 + 20/2
f (4) = 1 + 10
f (4) = 11
f (5) = 1 + 5(5 + 1)/2
f (5) = 1 + (25 + 5)/2
f (5) = 1 + 30/2
f (5) = 1 + 15
f (5) = 16
f (6) = 1 + 6(6 + 1)/2
f (6) = 1 + (36 + 6)/2
f (6) = 1 + 42/2
f (6) = 1 + 21
f (6) = 22
f (7) = 1 + 7(7 + 1)/2
f (7) = 1 + (49 + 7)/2
f (7) = 1 + 56/2
f (7) = 1 + 28
f (7) = 29
Whenenteringtheequation,Imadesuretoaddadomainof c 0 as
youcannothavelessthan0cutswhichshadedinthepossibilitiesonthegraph.Asthisequationwasable
tomatchupwithallthenumbersinthetable,Iwasfairlyconfidantthatthisanswerwasright,butIalso

didntwanttotakeanychancessoIenteredthisequationontopoftheprevioustableonagraphing
calculatortoseeiftheywouldmatchup.Thegraphswereabletomatchupperfectly,whichprovedthat
myequationworkedproperly.
Intheend,thesolutionIfoundwas f (p) = 1 + c(c + 1)/2 . f (p) represents
thefunctionofpieces
ofpie
andthe1istheyintercept.The c(c + 1) istoproduceaquadratictoformaparabolaandinclude
theextraofthesummation.Thenthedenominatorwasfromsplittingthepieintohalves.
Asanextension,Iwouldliketotrytosolvethisproblemwithcalculus.AsfarasIknow,the
basicequationwouldbe Ax2 + Bx + C .Still,Idliketolearnhowtoapplythisequationtothisproblem
andhowthisequationworksingeneral.
OnthisPOW,Iwouldgivemyselfa9.5asIdidgostepbystepwitheachapproachIattempted.
IalsoaddedallthedetailIcouldintoexplainingmyequationsopeerscouldunderstandhowandwhyit
workedalongwithdiagrams,graphsandchartstohelpvisuallyshowit.Throughoutthiswholeweek,I
reallyhadtoutilizemyabilityto
conjectureandtest
tofindanequationthatwouldworkandproveto
myselfwhyitworked.Atthesametime,IfeellikeIcouldveimprovedonmyabilityto
beconfidant,
patient,andpersistent
withtheproblem.Forthisproblem,IjumpedaroundwitheachattemptandI
didntsticktoomuchtoanyideaIstartedoutwith.Ifirsttriedtofindanequationrightoffthebatbut
gaveupwhenIcouldntfigureoutamissingboundary.ThenIjumpedtovisualswhichItranslatedtoa
chartbeforeonceagainjumpingtoagraphthatIthoughtwouldbeuseful.Withalltheinformationfrom
thosethreemethods,IwasabletofindasolidequationbutIcouldvestucktoaoneofthemtocometo
somepattern.