Answer:
You have to think in three dimensions to answer this properly. The relative size of the pieces was never specified, so let’s start with the first three cuts:
Cut 1: No specified angle—-but it’s vertical and along a diameter (assuming a circular pie): 2 pieces.
Cut 2: Perpendicular to Cut 1; also vertical: 4 pieces.
Cut 3: Horizontal across the midline of the pie: 8 pieces.
Cuts 4 and 5: Diagonally—from either end of cut 1 on top to the opposite sides on the bottom (they intersect at the center): 16 pieces.
Cuts 6 and 7: Diagonally from the ends of cut 2 (similar to cuts 4 and 5): 32 pieces.
Cut 8: The exact angle is unimportant—it’s difficult if not impossible to cut more than half of the pieces. So of 32, 16 are split, leaving a grand total of 48 pieces.
There could very well be a way to make more than 48 pieces, but I would have written that one if I’d thought of it.
Step-by-step explanation:
