The Matter of Pizza Slice Geometry

The pizza was placed in the center of the table.

Eight slices. Cut by a person who was trying to make them equal and approximately succeeded. Approximately is where the geometry begins.

The Assessment

The assessment is immediate, automatic, and not described as an assessment. It looks like: a hand moving toward the pizza.

The hand moves toward the pizza after approximately three seconds of looking at the pizza. The three seconds contain: an evaluation of which slices have more toppings distributed toward the outer edge (where they are more likely to stay on the slice), which slices have the best crust situation, whether any slices have the pooled cheese from the center (best cheese situation), and which slices have geometrically sound proportions.

The Declared Strategy

The declared strategy, if asked, would be: "I just took the nearest one" or "it doesn't matter, they're all the same."

The slice taken is not the nearest one. The slices are not all the same.

The Perfectly Fine Alternative

The slice that was not taken is also good. Any of the eight slices would have been fine. The assessment selected for the slight advantages, none of which are large enough to matter.

The pizza is eaten. All eight slices go to eight people. All eight people are satisfied. The assessment produced a marginal outcome in approximately three seconds.

Three seconds of geometry for pizza. This is reasonable. Pizza deserves three seconds.