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PaperclipPerfector  1yr ago (text post)   2040 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for June 2, 2023

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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I've been thinking about making a toy.

Is there a set of 3 shapes (circle, square, and triangle) that can only fit through a slightly larger hole (say 1mm) on each side while still being close to the same size. In other words that no shape can be inscribed in anything except a similar shape 1mm larger in every dimension?

I'd like to avoid this if possible.

Yeah, you can do it with circle of diameter 25mm, equilateral triangle with base of 25mm, square of side length 20 for example.

Much appreciated! Now I'll see what other shapes I can use with those and keep all of them from fitting within each other.

I have sometimes tried to interest my children in puzzles like that, but to no avail. They’ll go find a piece of gravel or a stick to play with instead, and ignore it entirely. But based on there being so many puzzles for children, I suppose some children must be willing to use them?

I also do not like puzzles, so maybe there’s something heritable there.

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