We’ve all seen the ads. Two small or medium pizzas for a great price. Many Moraine Valley students may already know that these Super Bowl Specials may not be so super. Let’s take a closer look at the math at behind this common promotion.
The area of a pizza can be calculated the same way as calculating the area of a circle. The area A=? * r (radius)2 . Then dividing the cost of the pizza by the square inches will determine our cost per square inch.
For an extra large 18 inch pizza with a radius of 9 inches, the square inches is calculated at 254.46. At an average prize of $16.50, the cost per inch is 6.4 cents.
For a large 16 inch pizza with a radius of 8 inches, the square inches comes out to 201.06. At an average price of $14.99, the cost per inch is 7.4 cents.
For a medium 12 inch pizza with a radius of 6 inches, the square inches comes out to 113.09. For the most marked down special we could find, 2 medium pizzas for $11.98, the cost per inch for 226.08 square inches of pizza is 5.2 cents.
This is just a base formula because some pizza places offering those specials are known for leaving a large space at the end. A big section by the crust with no toppings or cheese, only tomato sauce.
Accounting for this we can take another 2 inches off the radius of each pizza.
So for an extra large 18 inch pizza with a true radius of 7 inches (accounting for at least 2 inches of crust and sauce) we get 153.93 square inches. At an average cost of $16.50, the cost per square inch is 10.7 cents.
For a large 16 inch pizza with a true radius of 6 inches (again accounting for at least 2 inches of crust and sauce), the square inches is approx 113.09. At an average price of $14.99, the cost per inch is 13.2 cents.
For a medium 12 inch pizza with a true radius of 4 inches (again accounting for at least 2 inches of crust and sauce), the square inches is approx 50.26. For the most discounted special of 2 medium pizzas for $11.98, the cost per inch for 100.52 square inches of pizza is 11.9 cents.
So comparing the cost for square inch, unless you find the greatest of all 2 medium pizza deals, statistically you are better off getting your average 18 inch pizza over two -12 inch ones.
For a good YouTube video explaining the math behind pizza deals, click here.