• Slowy@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    4
    ·
    5 months ago

    In one slice, cut a third off of each apple, and you’re left with 3 portions of 2/3 an apple each

    • DaCookeyMonsta@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      5 months ago

      What’s bothering me is, mathematically that is the answer, but practically the apple is a non uniform shape so you cant really determine where a third of the apple truly is and it has seeds in the middle meaning two of the kieces will have seeds one the one getting the two cut off pieces won’t so its not truly shared equally.

      • 📛Maven@lemmy.sdf.org
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        5 months ago

        “Equal” has a slightly different meaning in fair division problems. It doesn’t mean “the exact same quantity of matter”, so not being able to judge exactly 1/3 of the apple doesn’t super matter (though your seed problem can be solved by cutting diagonally through the apples rather than along one side), but rather, that each person gets a portion they value at least as much as the others; maybe some people are willing to take a smaller piece if it means they have no seeds, maybe some people are going to peel their piece so they care more about having the largest internal volume, maybe some people plan to plant the seeds and so they actually value them, maybe some people only care about having the biggest piece.

        In practice, for three people this can take as few as 2 cuts or as many as 6; since there’s two apples and we can do 2 cuts with one stroke here, there is a fair division solution, but it only works if things go perfectly:

        The first person cuts the apples into 3 shares they think are of equal value (perhaps they hate apple cores, so they cut one side off both as above)

        The second person points out which share(s) they think are the best

        The third person takes the share they consider to be most valuable

        The second person takes the share they consider to be most valuable

        The first person takes the remaining share, which, since they cut, they must consider equal to the other two.

        If the second person doesn’t think at least two shares are of equal value, the problem becomes impossible to resolve without more knifeplay.

  • Ulvain@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    2
    ·
    5 months ago

    Align the two apples so they’re off center to one another. One has 2/3 on the outside to the left, 1/3 to the right, the other 2/3 to the outside to the right, 1/3 to the left.

    Bird’s eye view, the single line cutting both apples will leave us with the left 2/3 of the first apple and the right 2/3 of the second, and a third portions made of 2 thirds, or another 2/3 of an apple.

    One cut, 2 apples, 3 equal portions.

    • SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      5 months ago

      With forensics being as good as they are now, they’ll probably figure out the knife you used the first time is the same knife you used the second time.

      You really can’t have a favourite knife anymore. Gotta dispose of it right away or they’ll work out the pattern without needing to figure out the riddles you left behind at the scene. It’s cheating really, but the only thing you can do to prevent it is by taking the “single-use knife” approach.