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Best Guess · Puzzle #6 · Monday, October 5

Best Guess: the answers

Four questions, each with one true number. Here they are with their answers, how to reason each one out, and where the number comes from. Play today's Best Guess.

  1. 1. How many lunches did the US National School Lunch Program serve in fiscal year 2024?

    The answer: more than 4.8 billion. Since 1969 the program has served nearly 246 billion lunches.

    Napkin math
    1. 25Mstudents eating school lunch (about half of them)
    2. ×180school days a year

    ≈4.5Blunches

    Source: USDA Economic Research Service, USDA's National School Lunch Program served about 246 billion lunches from fiscal years 1969 through 2024

  2. 2. How many eggs per person were available to eat in the US in 2021?

    The answer: about 280 eggs. That counts shell eggs and processed eggs, the kind that go into baked goods, mixes and restaurant food.

    Napkin math
    1. 52weeks a year
    2. ×5eggs a week (breakfast plus baking)

    ≈260eggs

    Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Availability (Per Capita) Data System: Eggs

  3. 3. How many acres of lawn (yards, parks, golf courses) cover the US?

    The answer: about 31.6 million acres. NASA-backed research found lawns cover more US ground than any single irrigated crop, including corn.

    Napkin math
    1. 80Mhomes with a yard
    2. ×0.25acre of grass each

    ≈20Macres

    Source: NASA Earth Observatory, Looking for Lawns

  4. 4. How many viewers watched Super Bowl LX in February 2026, according to Nielsen?

    The answer: 125.6 million. Viewership peaked at 137.8 million during the second quarter; the figure was revised up from an initial 124.9 million.

    Napkin math
    1. 330Mpeople in the US
    2. ÷3people for each one watching

    ≈110Mviewers

    Source: Nielsen, Super Bowl LX Delivers 125.6 Million Viewers

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