for

Shanti L. Howard and Audrea K. Bankston

PROBLEM: Chicken McNuggets

McDonalds sells Chicken McNuggets in boxes of 6, 9, or 20. Obviously one could purchase exactly 15 McNuggets by buying a box of 6 and a box of 9.

Could you purchase exactly 17 Mcnuggets?

How would you purchase exactly 53 McNuggets?

What is the largest number for which it is impossible to purchase exactly that number of McNuggets?

What if the McNuggets were available in boxes of 7, 11, and 17? What is the largest number for which it is impossible to purchase exactly that number of
McNuggests?

It is absolutely impossible to purchase 17 nuggets....well, at least that's our judgement!

53 nuggets can be purchased by buying:

one box of 20

3 boxes of 9

and 1 box of 6.

 


Every number after 43 can be generated in the 6, 9, 20 version of the problem. We believe that every number after 37 can be generated in the 7, 11, 17 version of the problem.

We came up with a spreadsheet using all the possiblilities for combinations to calculate the total possible sums.

Let's see what we get! Click Now!

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