This is a plastic six pack ring. I don't want any animals getting stuck, so I always cut mine such that there are no more loops. However, I am also lazy. How can I minimize the number of cuts required?pic.twitter.com/fA3w7Mv8Y9
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Variants: 1. Assume that "cut" means transecting exactly one segment. 2. Assume that "cut" means transecting an arbitrary number of segments along one line. 3. What if the ring can be folded?
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I'm pretty sure variant 1 is trivial: each cut can, at best, reduce the number of loops by one, so the number of necessary cuts is equal to the number of loops: 14. Variant 3 is also probably trivial; I assume there's a way to fold the ring such that all loops overlap, so 1 cut.
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As for variant 2, I have no idea! Practically speaking, though, I don't have a pair of scissors that can transect the entire ring. So the most useful solution would involve a fold (or two).
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Actually I guess variant 2 is also trivial. 3 cuts is obviously sufficient, but 2 cuts is not.
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