British experts devise sure-fire Christmas cracker formula
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Your support makes all the difference.British researchers have devised what they say is a guaranteed method of pulling crackers, to avoid disappoint at the dinner table this Christmas, reports said Thursday.
The experts say the method for always winning the long end of the cracker, and therefore the prize inside, is in the angle that you grip it - and have released a mathematical formula to follow.
Diners are guaranteed success if they follow the formula O=11xC/L+5xQ which is based on the angle, grip and quality of the cracker.
You must first multiply the circumference of the cracker in inches (C) by 11 before dividing that number by the length (L) of the barrel.
Take that total and add it to the figure you get when you multiply the quality (Q) - either 1, 2 or 3 depending on whether the cracker is cheap, standard or premium - by five, the Daily Mail said.
The formula ought to produce a figure between 20 and 55 degrees, which is the optimum pulling angle (O). The cracker should also be pulled one inch from the end of the tail, newspapers said.
A quality control team at British department store Debenhams pulled hundreds of crackers in the run-up to Christmas before discovering the winning formula.
Carie Barkhuizen, of Debenhams, said: "This is a guaranteed way to pip your family rivals to the post and ensure you are the one telling the jokes over Christmas lunch."
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