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Wed 31 Aug, 2005 12:56 pm
Hello,
I'm a food writer trying to figure out the total number of permutations of BBQ a place I visit can serve. There are some vestiges of permutation math floating between synapses, but I'm at a loss. So I thought I'd try here.
There are:
Six types of meat
It can be served pulled or chopped
In a sandwich or in a takeout container
There are four sauces (three degrees of hotness and ketchup)
There are two types of slaw
If a person order the hottest sauce they wouldn't order the mild sauce, so perhaps there is only "one" sauce plus ketchup. Not really sure of this.
Any help would be great.
Sincerely,
David
6 meats x 2 styles x 2 forms x 4 sauces x 2 sides
= 192 permutations
Don't worry about the sauces. You always only order one sauce, the important thing is that you have four choices.
Thanks so much for this. I was somewhere in the thousands.
David
Thanks so much for this. I was somewhere in the thousands.
David
You can get higher if you're allowed to choose any combination of sauces.
In fact, I'll bet no sauce is an option.
Mark,
You can choose any suace you want, or none at all. So no sauce is definitely an option.
Adding one more sauce brings the total permutations up to 240.
Can you choose multiple sauces? i.e. ketchup and hot? That will add a lot more options.
mac11,
Perhaps I didn't explain it well. Yes, you can chose any combination of the sauces. But I think the three sauces should be consider one, only because it's unlikely someone will order, say, hot sauce plus mld sauce. But they often have hot sauce and ketchup. Or my favortie: pulled shoulder sandwich with mayo slaw, ketchup, and a bit of mild sauce.
David
Markr--
Yep. No slaw is an option. As is no sauce and no ketchup. A person could have a pound of shoulder plain. Or a sandwich of middling (bacon) with nothing on it. Everything can be order "neked."
David
OK, here's what we have so far.
6 meats x 2 styles x 2 forms x 4 sauce options (3 sauces or nothing) x 2 ketchup options (yes or no) x 3 sides (two sides or nothing) = 576 options.
Engineer,
Now we're talking. This is a much cooler number, both in the fact that it's larger and doesn't end in zero. (Looks better on the page.)
I don't think there's much more we can squeeze out of this...is there?
Thanks again.
David
markr,
No, no mixing of sauces.
David
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