To many, this equation will look like gobledeygook, but a maths expert has suggested it’s the formula to a perfect Christmas.
C = ((t²T+a²A+g²G+f²F+r²R)/(t²+a²+g²+f²+r²)) + M
Maths wizard Ana Rita Pires has assessed factors including togetherness, ambience, gift-giving, festive food, and even magic.
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The lecturer in geometry at the University of Edinburgh said if the factors are combined in the right amount then a wonderful Christmas is guaranteed.
“What makes a Christmas ideal can change from person to person and so a formula for an ideal Christmas has to have flexibility built into it to account for what matters most for each of us,” Ana, told What’s the Jam.
“The variables T, A, G, F, R in the formula come accompanied by coefficients t,a, g, f, r which express how much each variable matters in your idea of a perfect Christmas.”
The formula can be used to calculate personal Christmas fulfilment score C.
T = Togetherness: be it with family, friends, or community, in person or sometimes online or in some other such way. And it’s not just on Christmas day, the whole season counts towards this. (from 0 to 100)
t = how important togetherness is for your ideal Christmas (from 0 to 10)
A = Ambience: Christmas tree and decorations, lights, Christmas music, etc (from 0 to 100)
a = how important ambience is for your ideal Christmas (from 0 to 10)
G = Giving and receiving: presents and holiday cards are the obvious ones, but messages, emails, and phone calls also count (from 0 to 100)
g = how important giving and receiving is for your ideal Christmas (from 0 to 10)
F = Festive food: both the joy of preparing it and the joy of eating it, and includes festive drinks and treats. (from 0 to 100)
f = how important festive food is for your ideal Christmas (from 0 to 10)
R = Rituals: going to midnight mass or participating in traditions, such as watching the lighting of the Christmas tree in your town, having an advent calendar, or settling down for a Christmas movie marathon. (from 0 to 100)
r = how important rituals are for your ideal Christmas (from 0 to 10)
M = Magic: this is a bonus category, which accounts for things like snow on Christmas morning, a grandchild’s first Christmas, and other unexpected delights. (from 0 to 10)
Ana added: “The first part of the formula is a weighted average of T, A, G, F, R.”
“The respective coefficients t, a, g, f, and r appear squared to give extra weight to the things you value most, so pour your energy into making those count.”
“Then you add the Magic factor M, which gives a boost to the Christmas fulfilment score, possibly even making it go above 100.”
“This is to account for the fact that sometimes, even when not everything goes as intended there is something magical that makes Christmas more wonderful and memorable.”
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