Problem #WSP-000468

Problems Discrete Mathematics Combinatorics Geometry on grid paper

Problem

Imagine a \(5\times6\) rectangular chocolate bar, and you want to split it between you and your \(29\) closest friends, so that each person gets one square. You repeatedly snap the chocolate bar along the grid lines until the rectangle is in \(30\) individual squares. You can’t snap more than one rectangle at a time.

image image image

The diagram shows a couple of choices for your first two snaps. For example, in the first picture, you snap along a vertical line, and then snap the left rectangle along a horizontal line.
How many snaps do you need to get the \(30\) squares?