this post was submitted on 04 Feb 2024
532 points (98.4% liked)

RPGMemes

10349 readers
150 users here now

Humor, jokes, memes about TTRPGs

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 
top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] Slowy@lemmy.world 113 points 9 months ago (6 children)

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 119 points 9 months ago (6 children)

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 27 points 9 months ago (4 children)

"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.

[–] bob_lemon@feddit.de 7 points 9 months ago

If anyone is interested, there's this video by Up and Atom that neatly shows the complexity.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] Neato@ttrpg.network 9 points 9 months ago

Yeah. It's a bad question. Why only one stroke? If you cut the apples into cubes and doled them out equally it'd be a much better and more equal experience. The problem presented is a lie, it's just a geometry puzzle.

[–] GBU_28@lemm.ee 5 points 9 months ago

If you sliced vertically (still considering thirds) you would get more fair distribution of fruit-meat vs seeds

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] huginn@feddit.it 39 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Or cut both of them in half and throw out half an apple.

Didn't say all of the apple.

[–] Jackcooper@lemmy.world 7 points 9 months ago

Flat skull Winnie the Pooh.tiff

[–] ilovesatan@lemmy.world 9 points 9 months ago (5 children)

How do you do that in one slice?

[–] cdf12345@lemmy.world 24 points 9 months ago

Aim for the jugular

[–] troyunrau@lemmy.ca 8 points 9 months ago

Line the apples up next to each other, I guess. Sort of like taking a single slice through multiple carrots on the cutting board at once. Harder to do with apples given their shape, but I'd the knife is big enough, or you're counting a slice as "single continuous motion" then it is probably valid.

I can't think of any other physical solution that isn't a joke, so this is the most probable puzzle solution. In a D&D setting I might require a slight of hand check with a very low DC to pull off the single slicing motion.

[–] Grimy@lemmy.world 6 points 9 months ago

You line up the apple and cut both at the same time

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (3 replies)
[–] Ulvain@sh.itjust.works 96 points 9 months ago (6 children)

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.

[–] OfficerBribe@lemm.ee 54 points 9 months ago (5 children)
[–] wahming@monyet.cc 38 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Those are some weird looking titties

[–] androogee@midwest.social 15 points 9 months ago

Get yo ass to Mars

[–] Robert7301201@slrpnk.net 35 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Easier:

(..|.)

(..|.)

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] psud@lemmy.world 45 points 9 months ago (3 children)

You could simply murder one of the players

You know, that does sound easier than aligning some janky-ass shaped apples just right.

[–] MadBob@feddit.nl 15 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Is that not the joke? Am I a psycho now?

[–] defluo@sh.itjust.works 6 points 9 months ago

Not alone, I assumed that was the joke here.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] HopFlop@discuss.tchncs.de 30 points 9 months ago (1 children)

No need to align them like that. Just place them one behind the other and cut off one third on the side (with a single stroke).

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] JasonDJ@lemmy.zip 13 points 9 months ago

They don’t have to be aligned off center from each other, just as long as you cut a third off of each in one stroke.

Alternatively, one person just stabs one of the others, and the two survivors each get a whole apple.

[–] olympicyes@lemmy.world 8 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Dumb question, how do you make two apples off center from each other?

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Seasm0ke@lemmy.world 6 points 9 months ago (2 children)

I thought about this at first but then two people get the core as part of their portion and one doesn't :(

[–] itslilith@lemmy.blahaj.zone 7 points 9 months ago

Lay them on the side and cut through them horizontally, everyone gets core

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] xantoxis@lemmy.world 75 points 9 months ago (2 children)

What the fuck is this single-use knife

[–] SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca 23 points 9 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.

[–] bane_killgrind@lemmy.ml 13 points 9 months ago (1 children)

It's the kind of knife you buy for your first apartment

[–] Anticorp@lemmy.world 7 points 9 months ago

Dollar Tree knife.

[–] GiuEliNo@feddit.it 41 points 9 months ago (1 children)

What my group will do

Kill one person, yeah we are so dumb :D

[–] Numhold@feddit.de 17 points 9 months ago (3 children)

With one stroke? Does your group only consist of level 1 wizards or is it some kind of legendary knife?

[–] Ziggurat@sh.itjust.works 7 points 9 months ago

That's a classic critic against D&D if one stroke of knife is deadly IRL it should be in RPG.

That said, 3 players means a GM so just cut in half and you get 4 piece including one for the GM

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] Zugyuk@lemmy.world 30 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Stab a player... We can just reincarnate them after the puzzle

[–] EdibleFriend@lemmy.world 9 points 9 months ago (2 children)

This was my vote except for reincarnating. I'm sure one of them deserves it. Probably. Maybe.

Whatever we can find some other fucker to help us in the tavern.

[–] skulblaka@startrek.website 6 points 9 months ago (5 children)

I play a cleric in my party. Previously, we've been asked to recover and return a certain plot-important NPC who didn't exactly want to be transported...

We killed him, transported the corpse, handcuffed it, and then raised him at the destination. It's a lot easier to transport a body than a live half-elf who is actively trying to escape.

load more comments (5 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] zero_spelled_with_an_ecks@programming.dev 27 points 9 months ago (11 children)

Lowest common denominator is 6... Or murder.

[–] fishos@lemmy.world 11 points 9 months ago (7 children)

It can be done in 4 pieces. Whole numbers aren't necessary for the pieces.

load more comments (7 replies)
[–] OpenStars@startrek.website 6 points 9 months ago (3 children)

"These three want to share..." specifically precludes murder.

Watch as chaotic evil don't care, failing the test but having fun anyway:-P.

load more comments (3 replies)
load more comments (9 replies)
[–] fidodo@lemmy.world 17 points 9 months ago (1 children)

If you want the portions to be topologically identical I think the fewest cuts is 3?

[–] BlueMagma@sh.itjust.works 34 points 9 months ago (7 children)

The joke is you take the knife and kill another player

load more comments (7 replies)
[–] ornery_chemist@mander.xyz 13 points 9 months ago

Well, regardless, someone's getting hurt. Have you tried cutting two whole apples, one on top of the other? It's non-trivial! They aren't exactly stable and the rogue's gonna try to swipe one or both as soon as you move your own fingers out of the way. May as well get it over with and stab the rogue to start.

[–] iAvicenna@lemmy.world 12 points 9 months ago
[–] ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.works 9 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (2 children)
  1. The first person decides where the first apple would be cut, such that he would be equally happy with either taking the larger portion or dividing up what remains.

  2. The second person either says he wants that larger portion, in which case he's done, or he says he wants to divide up what remains, in which case the first person takes the larger portion and is done.

  3. The third person decides where the second apple would be cut.

  4. Either the first or second person (depending on the outcome of the second step) picks either the larger portion of the second apple or the two smaller portions.

  5. The third person takes what remains.

  6. The two apples are cut and their pieces distributed.

This doesn't guarantee a solution, since it's possible that the third person would have wanted the larger portion of the first apple. It only works if we assume that the first person, when given the motivation to cut fairly, does so with high precision. Otherwise the first person can, by screwing himself over, also screw over the third person.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] sundray@lemmus.org 6 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Oh boy, free apples! Wait... cast detect magic...

[–] Kbin_space_program@kbin.social 11 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

DM:
We're in Waterdeep, so the entire area is in a magical field, so detect magic is useless.

~~Also you cast a spell and thats a crime in Waterdeep, so you see a Karen of an Elf run off to find the guard~~

Player: I cast Identify on the apples.

DM: first one is fine, second one is a baby Mimic that attacks your finger as soon as you touch it to cast the spell. What's your AC and Roll Initiative.

load more comments
view more: next ›