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Balls in Space (Posted on 2005-12-09) Difficulty: 4 of 5
What is the maximum proportion of space that can be filled with an infinite number of identical spheres?

No Solution Yet Submitted by Andre    
Rating: 4.4000 (5 votes)

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Question Info needed | Comment 3 of 12 |

Are we assuming space is also infinite?  What shape is the universe...spherical, saddle-shaped, flat?
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And, how much time are we given to do this?  I just filled a cardboard box with 2,000 identical ping pong balls and it took me several minutes to get them packed in tight.  I imagine the proportion of space that can be filled at the rate I observed would be very very small indeed.
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What are the spheres made of?  That would place a limit on the maximum number.
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If the diameter of the sphere is less than the Planck length, would some of the spheres leak into an adjacent universe?


  Posted by MindRod on 2005-12-09 18:13:04
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