this post was submitted on 24 Mar 2026
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Science Memes

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[–] gressen@lemmy.zip 73 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Except the 17 square version holds less syrup than the 16 square version because you need to reduce the size of the squares to fit more of them.

[–] CaptDust@sh.itjust.works 58 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

If you take the original 16 squares and reduce them each in half, you can have 32 squares. Doctorate now, please.

[–] xthexder@l.sw0.com 39 points 1 month ago (1 children)

If the squares are half the size, you get 4x the number of squares, assuming you're measuring side length and not area.

[–] CaptDust@sh.itjust.works 37 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Oh hey sorry I didn't know you went to school for this shit. Fine. you make the waffles.

[–] deranger@sh.itjust.works 22 points 1 month ago (2 children)

One square is the optimal waffle if you’re optimizing for syrup volume alone.

[–] curbstickle@anarchist.nexus 7 points 1 month ago

I will put you to work testing this theory.

Proceed with waffle preparation and delivery, I'll be waiting, and will provide my own syrup. Please note all waffles are to be gluten-free, as my body hates me and the things I enjoy.

[–] moody@lemmings.world 5 points 1 month ago (3 children)

If you serve the syrup in a cup, then the syrup to waffle ratio is infinite.

[–] bumblefumble@mander.xyz 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I post this comment quite often, but a number divided by zero is not infinity, so the syrup to waffle ratio would actually be undefined.

[–] TheTetrapod@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Fine, as the quantity of waffle approaches zero, the syrup to waffle ratio approaches infinity.

This tracks because I'm always left with syrup on my plate after finishing the waffle. So I've independently verified your hypothesis.

[–] FishFace@piefed.social 3 points 1 month ago

Give this man a medal

[–] angrystego@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Why even have a waffle at all, let's drink the syrup!

[–] xthexder@l.sw0.com 14 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I should put "Bachelor's in Waffleology" on my resume

[–] OpenStars@piefed.social 4 points 1 month ago

Dr. Waffleologist!

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[–] arcine@jlai.lu 4 points 4 weeks ago

You can take this to the limit and make a waffle with infinitely many holes, each infinitely small !

It's just crepes.

[–] WhyIHateTheInternet@lemmy.world 43 points 1 month ago

For those who didn't know you can just pour as much syrup as you like, regardless of the square count.

[–] stan_stanminson@lemmy.dbzer0.com 54 points 1 month ago (6 children)

Why we don't make one giant square to hold even more syrup?

[–] yuriRO@lemmy.dbzer0.com 27 points 1 month ago
[–] nightofmichelinstars@sopuli.xyz 19 points 1 month ago

Because then it gets too soggy in the middle. The magic of the waffle is that the tops of the square dividers stay mostly dry until you start cutting into them. So you get freshly syruped waffle throughout the eating process.

[–] ExtremeUnicorn@feddit.org 10 points 1 month ago

This goes to 17 sqares!

[–] Redjard@reddthat.com 10 points 1 month ago

can make it round so the syrup spreads more evenly from the center.

Oops you made pancakes

[–] robyn@lemmy.org 9 points 1 month ago

The evil waffle

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[–] elbucho@lemmy.world 24 points 1 month ago

I wonder if John Bidwell is haunted by his discovery. I know I would be. That shit is cursed as fuck.

[–] palmtrees2309@lemmy.world 22 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Aren't Hexagons the bestagon for tiling a plane for most holding capacity while reducing the "walls" than any shape?

[–] Zwiebel@feddit.org 21 points 1 month ago

This here is just the best known solution to packing 17 squares specifically

[–] FishFace@piefed.social 4 points 1 month ago

The honeycomb theorem is actually better than that: there isn't any way to divide up the plane with equal-area shapes (even if it's not a tiling in the sense of having any pattern) it won't be better than hexagons.

But that video can die in a fire!

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[–] unnamedau@lemmy.ca 18 points 1 month ago (1 children)

on one hand, i want a 17-square waffle maker. on the other hand i think i would get brutally murdered by anyone i ever tried to make waffles for

[–] GreenCrunch@piefed.blahaj.zone 14 points 1 month ago

If they don't appreciate the 17-square waffle, they don't deserve it.

[–] Etterra@discuss.online 17 points 1 month ago (3 children)

I keep telling people that you can make nice, even months if you just have 13 of them but nooooo, 13 is a prime number, you can't divide it by 2, 3, 4, or 6! Boo fucking hoo, I want every month in the year to start on the same day of the week.

[–] ExtremeUnicorn@feddit.org 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Doesn't add up, either. Plus, you still have leap years and seconds.

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

yes it does. 13 even months with one extra day for new years

[–] ExtremeUnicorn@feddit.org 4 points 1 month ago (2 children)
[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

you haven't looked at the calendar. it works.

[–] Etterra@discuss.online 2 points 4 weeks ago

You tack the extra time on the end, shifting what day of the week the 1st falls on for the rest of the year. Instead of the end of February, which is just the most random fucking choice that I can only figure was determined because the calendar was set centuries before we had lightbulbs.

[–] thessnake03@lemmy.world 3 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

Found Henry Ford's account

[–] Etterra@discuss.online 2 points 4 weeks ago

Hey, fuck that racist bastard. I just hate trying to remember his many days are in a month because the current system is stupid.

[–] apotheotic@beehaw.org 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

365/13 is 28.07 - what are you doing with the extra day? + leap years too

[–] Etterra@discuss.online 2 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

The last month is 1 day longer (or 2 on a leap year) which resets the sequence. So exactly 4 weeks per month until the end, then new years has a buffer day.

[–] apotheotic@beehaw.org 3 points 4 weeks ago

Lol, you've got my vote

[–] LodeMike@lemmy.today 7 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I don't think waffle enjoyers want one more square in the same waffle, they want a specific shape and syrup/butter ratio per square. This waffle bricks that with its thick sections.

[–] kozy138@slrpnk.net 5 points 1 month ago

Shapes are dumb.

[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 4 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago) (1 children)

How about 25?

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[–] shane@feddit.nl 3 points 4 weeks ago

If you look at the image on the left you'll see that 5 of the smaller squares won't fit in the big one.

[–] enbiousenvy@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

TIL the shape in waffle is to hold syrup.

[–] angrystego@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It holds blueberries very well too!

[–] enbiousenvy@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

if the bottom part of the waffle is the inverted shape of the top one, it should fit another waffle. To properly stack them

[–] angrystego@lemmy.world 3 points 4 weeks ago

But it's not, so you need blueberries to be able to stack waffles reliably.

[–] Furbag@lemmy.world 3 points 4 weeks ago

This image is cropped so poorly. I've seen the uncropped version recently too...

[–] Jarix@lemmy.world 2 points 4 weeks ago

Why would do this?

[–] massive_bereavement@fedia.io 2 points 1 month ago

This ruined my day.

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