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Thread: McDonald's Choice Menu?...

  1. Jan 10th, 2002, 02:53 PM #1
    DavidHooper
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    McDonald's Choice Menu?...

    I walk past this great big billboard on my way to college every morning. At the moment, a McDonalds advert is up:

    "The McDonalds New McChoice Menu. <8 pictures of fries, drink, big mac etc>. Only 99p each. In 40312 combinations."


    This really bugs me. I got thinking about it: How can 8 items be arranged in 40312 ways? I assume the following could be valid combinations:
    drink, fries, mcslurry
    drink, fries, bigmac
    drink
    drink, fries
    etc etc

    If I were to work out the number of combinations I would do:
    8C1 + 8C2 + 8C3 + ... + 8C8

    But this doesn't equal 40312. Oh no. So, I played around with some numbers. The closest I can get is that they have (mistakenly) done something with 8P8, which equals 40320. This is, funnily enough, 8 more than the claimed combinations.

    However, if they're using permutations they they count:
    drink, fries and
    fries, drink
    as 2 different choices!!
    There are 10 types of people in the world - those that understand binary, and those that don't.
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  2. Jan 10th, 2002, 04:18 PM #2
    [Digital-X-Treme]
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    Maybe there's a connection between the people who've made careers @ McDonalds, and people that are bad at mathematics...?
    Digital-X-Treme
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  3. Jan 10th, 2002, 04:47 PM #3
    STT
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    or maybe that grease and oil have made them stupid
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  4. Jan 10th, 2002, 05:06 PM #4
    beachbum
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    Sue them for false advertising... and emm it wouldnt hurt to add a clause about the coffee being a tad burny
    Stuart Laidlaw
    Brightspark Financial Software
    http://www.gstsmartbook.com
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  6. Jan 11th, 2002, 05:37 AM #5
    DavidHooper
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    Well...

    What makes it funnier is that they've done (or at least I think they've done) 8P8 - 8, counting permutations as combinations with the exception of single items!

    Oh well. One Big Mac too many I think.
    There are 10 types of people in the world - those that understand binary, and those that don't.
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  7. Jan 11th, 2002, 05:41 AM #6
    beachbum
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    David
    Did u see the thread re the new plastelina game.. i remember u liked the others.. i expect a 3 page algebraic formula for game 5 asap!

    http://www.vbforums.com/showthread.p...ght=plastelina
    Stuart Laidlaw
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  8. Jan 11th, 2002, 02:17 PM #7
    DavidHooper
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    Well...

    Chuckle, cheers beach, I did see the thread and I'm saving it for the weekend.

    I'll prob crack it with the "dreaded M word"!
    There are 10 types of people in the world - those that understand binary, and those that don't.
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  9. Jan 13th, 2002, 08:20 AM #8
    wossname
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    by my reckoning, 109600 different people could walk into McDonalds, and each could take a unique order without taking more than 8 items.

    8p8+8p7+8p6....+8p1 = 109600

    combinations instead of permutations yields 255 combos, assuming no takes 2 drinks or 2 McMuffins.

    They've buggered it up from all angles!
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