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Conference rusure::math

Title:Mathematics at DEC
Moderator:RUSURE::EDP
Created:Mon Feb 03 1986
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:2083
Total number of notes:14613

1435.0. "Discs covering a circle" by ANGLIN::KIRKMAN (Big date on September 14) Tue Apr 30 1991 22:54

    This is a variation off an old problem that I posted in
    ROBTOB::BRAIN_BOGGLERS a while back.  We solved the original problem,
    then we went merrily churning through alternatives until I ran into one
    I couldn't solve.  Sooo ...
    
    Take a circle radius R, five (5) discs radius r.  Arrange the discs so
    they completely cover all the area in the circle.  What is the largest
    possible R, and what is the arrangement of the disks?
    
    The best configuration I found was a "mickey mouse" shape with 3 discs
    having their edge touching the center of the circle, and 2 dics having
    both ends of their diameter line fall on the circle.
    
    Intuitively, I thought that sliding the inner discs arround might
    improve the result, but its been too long since I solved diff. eq.
    
    Scott
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