” What are the maximum pieces of cake that you will get after cutting it 4 times?”.

1. Tricky question!!! Sometime we need to Think out of the BOXTricky question!!! Sometime we need to Think out of the BOX
Last week I was in the London Business School and participated in a “Business and
Industry Insight” course. At the end of the course, the class (around 40 participants from
all over Europe) got a question which was ” What are the maximum pieces of cake that
you will get after cutting it 4 times?”.
The largest number of pieces that one of the class participants gave was 16 pieces, but
without giving an explanation on how he got to the number 16?
The professor explained that 16 is the correct answer, since you are allowed to cut the
cake anyway you like (putting pieces one on top of the other), he added also that the
answer 16 is a result of 2 in the 4th power.
The professor also shared with us a funny story about a young child that his mother baked
him a cake in a shape of a centipede. The child considered each leg of the centapede as ahim a cake in a shape of a centipede. The child considered each leg of the centapede as a
piece of the cake. ☺
After I came to my hotel and drilled down into the cake question. I thought also about the
professor’s comment about the centipede’s legs , I ended up with 20 pieces.
Since the professor in the London Business School did not mention any rule about how the
cake can be cut, I assumed that I can cut the cake in any way I want (even in a circle).
Here please find, a presentation that I made in order to explain how I got to 20 pieces?
Conclusion: Thinking out of the box will always give you a breakthrough to solve
problems with new solutions.. Enjoy..
15 March 2017

2. 11
1st cut is cutting a
circle in the middle
of the cake
1
2
Outcome of
the 1st cutthe 1 cut
SUM=2 pcs

3. 2nd cut
Cut the cake Horizontally
Outcome of the 2nd cut
SUM = 4 pcs

4. 3rd cut Vertical (when all the
pieces are standing and arranged
one after the other. The cut is in
the middle
CUT
Outcome of the
3rd cut
SUM = 8 pcs

5. 4th cut is Vertical (when the pieces are
arranged like this
Outcome of the 4th cut
Each one of this shape become into 3 pieces .
4th CUT
Horizontal CUT
Outcome of the 4th cut . Each one of this shape Each one of this shape become into 3 pieces .
SUM = 3 * 4 shapes = 12 pcs
1
3
2
Outcome of the 4 cut . Each one of this shape
become into 2 pieces .
SUM = 2 * 4 shapes = 8 pcs
1
2
Total pieces 12 +8 -20