Someone devised the mathematically perfect way to slice a bagel

Someone devised the mathematically perfect way to slice a bagel

What happens when a mathematician slices a Mobius strip into an edible torus, i.e., a math-thingy into a bagel? Not—as a non-mathematician might suspect—the creation of an Infinity Bagel that can be consumed forever. But it does result in an interlocking shape that can hold a greater amount of cream cheese than your standard horizontal cut.

The result is what creator and Stony Brook University professor George W. Hart dubs the “Mathematically Correct Breakfast,” a dubious claim considering that circles are mathematically rad to begin with, and that this new “perfect” bagel seems harder to actually toast and eat than the layperson’s bagel. But there is that greater spreadable area to consider.

Learn how to make the cut at Hart’s site or through the video below. [via Mathematics & Nature]

 
Join the discussion...