An easier version of this puzzle is here.

A large panel needs to be moved through a corridor, the panel is tall as the corridor. The corridor is A feet wide before a right angle turn, after the turn, it is B feet wide. What is the maximum length of the panel that can pass through this corner.

Overhead view of the hallway:

+------------+---
|           /   |
|          /    |B ft
|         /     |
|        /+------
|       / |
|      /  |
|     /   |
|    /    |
|   /     |
|  /      |
| /       |
|/        |
+<-A ft-->|

i think the answer is:

the square root of the sum of the squares of a and b

but then i saw that calculus is involved. i haven't remembered a thing about calculus in over twenty years, so i suspect my answer is wrong.

rixar²

Posted by rixar on 2004-05-26 14:26:44