Splitting a Cake with a Missing Piece in two equal portion | Puzzles for Interview - Interview Preparation PDF Download

Introduction

Have you ever faced a situation where you ordered a cake with your friends, and one of them cut out a piece in a hurry? Now, you and your other friend want to divide the remaining cake into two equal portions, but you can't cut along the height of the cake as you both want an equal amount of cream and toppings. Here's how you can do it:

Observation

If a line passes through the center of a rectangle, it divides the rectangle into two equal halves.

Solution

To divide the remaining cake into two equal portions, you need to extend the above observation by creating a line that passes through both the center of the cake as well as the center of the missing piece.

By doing so, the line will divide the cake into two equal halves, and you can cut the cake along that line to get your equal portions.

Note

Remember that the single straight cut can pass through the cut-out portion.

Conclusion

With this simple solution, you can divide a rectangular cake with a missing piece into two equal portions without compromising on the amount of cream and toppings for you and your friend.