How to order 43 Chicken McNuggets - Numberphile

TL;DR

43 is a special number in McNugget packs, which led McDonald's to change their rules for packaging.

Transcript

BRADY HARAN: 43 is a very special number with chicken nuggets. It's the highest number that you can't make by using the standard packs that you get from McDonald's. The packs are 9, 6 and 20. There's fewer of those numbers that you can't make. You can't make one, because they don't sell them in ones. You can't have 2 or 3. But 43 is the biggest. Ye... Read More

Key Insights

• 🌥️ 43 was the largest number unachievable with standard McNugget packs.
• 👻 McDonald's introduced a 4-pack to allow for more numbers to be made.
• 🧩 The McNugget numbers puzzle is similar to the Frobenius problem in math.
• 👶 The new McNugget packaging resolved the issue of unachievable numbers.
• 👾 The concept of the coin problem relates to the McNugget numbers game.
• 🤲 Getting 43 McNuggets required a combination of 9, 6, and 4-pack boxes.
• 👾 The game involving McNugget numbers is an interesting mathematical challenge.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why is 43 considered a special number in the context of McNugget packs?

43 is the largest number you can't make using only 6, 9, and 20 packs sold by McDonald's, making it stand out as a unique case.

Q: How did McDonald's address the issue of numbers that couldn't be achieved with their standard McNugget packs?

McDonald's introduced a new pack of 4 nuggets in addition to the existing 6, 9, and 20 packs, allowing for more numbers to be created.

Q: What other names are Frobenius numbers known by in mathematics?

Frobenius numbers are also referred to as the coin problem, which involves determining what combinations of values can or cannot be achieved.

Q: What was the solution to getting 43 McNuggets after McDonald's changed their packaging?

By using three 9-packs, two 6-packs, and one 4-pack of McNuggets, a total of 43 nuggets could be obtained.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• 43 is the largest number you can't make using standard McDonald's McNugget packs of 6, 9, and 20.

• McDonald's introduced a separate pack of 4 nuggets, changing the numbers that can’t be made.

• The McNugget numbers game is a fun math problem known as Frobenius numbers or the coin problem.