How do you cut a cake into 16 pieces using 5 cuts? - Answers

Cut a round cake in eight equal sized wedge shaped pieces with four vertical cuts, then make one horizontal cut through the center of the cake to equal sixteen pieces.It's slightly more tricky if you are only allowed to cut the horizontal cross-section of the cake (treat the cake as a circle). In this case, first divide the cake with one cut (2 pieces), then cut it again so that it intersects the first cut (4 pieces), then cut it a third time so that it intersects both cuts previously made, at different points (7 pieces), then let the fourth cut intersect all three cuts so far at different points (11 pieces), and let the fifth and final cut intersect all four cuts at different points (16 pieces total).