Should you get a large pizza or two medium pizzas? Primer magazine has the math to show that one 18-inch large pizza has more pizza in it than two 12-inch medium pizzas.
Area of two 12” pizzas:
12/2 = 6 6×6=36 36xπ = 113.1 in² x 2 = 226.2 in²
Area of one 18” pizza:
18/2=9 9×9=81 81xπ = 254.5 in²
The numbers don’t lie.
The commenters at the Boing Boing blurb brought up a lot of points that might move you in the other direction.
1. There are few pizza parlors that actually serve an 18-inch pizza anymore. They are more likely 14 inches in diameter.
2. On the other hand, sometimes the pricing matters more than total pizza area.
3. An 18-inch pizza won't fit in a home oven, or many restaurant ovens.
4. We eat too much pizza, and should be eating less.
5. If the crust is stuffed, that's more important than total area.
6. If you get two medium pizzas, you don't have to share your anchovy pizza with someone who prefers a pineapple topping.
The numbers don't lie, but there are words that can make those numbers meaningless.