Most people slice pizza in a certain way, either using a knife, or a pizza cutter, or even just tearing it with our finger. However we do this, the slices (or tears) of the doughy delight tend to take the same shape — an approximation of a triangle.
This is all well and good if the pizza has been made well, with the toppings evenly distributed and everyone likes every part on offer. However, if the pizza-eating party prefer different parts (like the crust) or wish to avoid a hot pepper, then slicing up the cheesy feast isn’t straightforward.
If you face this dilemma then mathematics has the answer. According to The Daily Telegraph, two researchers — Joel Haddley and Stephen Worsley — from the University of Liverpool (U.K.) have developed a formula that allows the pizza to be cut into equally-sized geometric shapes.
The technique involves slicing up pizza using a systematic series of curvy lines. The resultant shapes are monohedral. The number of shapes can be varied according to the size of the party and the bits of the pizza people want to eat. The ultimate pattern takes on a type of stained glass window effect. The technique is illustrated below:
The researchers have written-up their approach in a white paper, titled “Infinite families of monohedral desk tilings.”
