The mathematical method of slicing a bagel

NPR : In an interview on NPR, mathematician Eugenia Chang of the University of Sheffield in the UK explains how to cut a bagel along a Möbius strip. By slicing along a line that wraps around the outside and inside of the bagel, one ends up with a final product whose inside looks like an M. C. Escher staircase, says interviewer Dan Pashman. Apparently, the Möbius-strip method of bagel slicing has an upside: It creates more inner surface area for lox, cream cheese, and other toppings. The idea, Cheng says, is “basically completely ridiculous. And isn’t that delicious?” It is one example of her broader mission to bring mathematics to a wider audience. In her new book, How to Bake π: An Edible Exploration of the Mathematics of Mathematics (Basic Books, 2015), Cheng draws further analogies between math and various food items, such as sushi, mayonnaise, and cake.