Restaurant Selection Algorithm
A table comparing group restaurant-choosing methods by algorithmic complexity: linear, quadratic, exponential, and the cartoonist's family's (uncountable).
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Free for classrooms, worksheets, slides and other non-commercial use under CC BY-NC 4.0, with credit to Ben Orlin.
Cartoon by Ben Orlin, Math with Bad Drawings. https://cartoons.mathwithbaddrawings.com/2021-01-01-restaurant-selection-algorithm/ (CC BY-NC 4.0)Transcript
[Table: Restaurant Selection Algorithm / steps with 4 people, 8 people, n people]
Dictatorship (a leader picks; everyone decides whether to come): 4 / 8 / n (linear time)
Democracy (each nominates; ranked-choice ballot): 16 / 64 / n² (quadratic time)
Consensus (every possible permutation of splitting up is discussed): 16 / 256 / 2ⁿ (exponential time)
My Family's Method (a web woven by a cursed spider…): Hundreds / Billions / "Are you familiar with Cantor's larger infinities?"