Mathematical conundrum

[Guest]

Hi ND,

 

>>>>>>>>>Thai - maybe in your part of the world is different, but every box I've seen has eight sides, hence the original post to BB.<<<<<<<<<

 

Sorry Dog, but in my part of the world, there are only six sides usually (4 sides, a top, and a bottom).

 

I know what original post was. Subject turned to optimal container for spheres, so was just sharing my thoughts on what that might be.

 

>>>When we make large numbers of digital devices, one thing we look at is how will it be packaged, and then how will it be transported, and then loaded and unloaded.

 

Has actually forced us to change the design sometimes!<<<

 

I was actually thinking about that too, when writing post. "OK...how will 30 pyramid boxes fit into a cubed container? At that point, you might have noticed I signed off due to a headache. But this eight sided box thing has just given me a new one.

 

Just kidding ND. I know was a typo. ::

 

But to be honest, US postal service provides me with triangular (elongated, pyramid shaped 2-3 day priority mail boxes), to ship out in, every day. It's a standard size box here, which I often use, so is not out of the realm of things, in the shipping industry. At least within the US Postal System.

 

By the way....that would be a 5 sided box.......3 sides, and two ends.

 

HT

[lembeh]

 

not really to the last poster, just quick reply.

 

There seems to be a basic mistake around here. Firstly there are several optimum packings of the *spheres*, which minimise lost space in between the spheres, for example try these two:

http://www.gh.wits.ac.za/craig/diagrams/cub3d.gif

 

and

http://www.gh.wits.ac.za/craig/diagrams/hex3d.gif

 

(or even this one which shows quite well):

 

http://209.196.135.250/burkhardt/fig15.htm

 

 

So, we can pack *spheres* to quite high efficiencey (this is where SD got to if I recall correctly). However, the comment of the original poster is that this has to be in a BOX (he gives dimensions later), not a sphere, not a pyramid, but a box. SO, the *optimal* packing (in which way the spheres pack) will depend upon *exactly* how big the box is, and what the "base" of the box allows in terms of order of packing. A small change in area of the box will change the packing order, and hence change the maximum balls in the volume.

-j-

[Guest]

Let's see, hmmm ...your drunk & already have a hangover...and your going to 'drop' the balls in the box.

The correct answer is not 781...it's simply _one_ as a drunk lout will probably miss the box and have 780 balls on the floor

 

 

Redbaron said:

The box would be close to being a cube (40x36x36 sounds right to me).

I don't want to squash them. The balls are black, the temperature would be 27 to 29oC - they wouldn't be stacked, they'd just be dropped in.

 

Thanks again... Now my hangover is getting worse.

[OCgringo]

Sorry Dog, but in my part of the world, there are only six sides usually (4 sides, a top, and a bottom)..............

 

but if you add the inside and the outside it makes "8"

 

OC