Copyright © University of Cambridge. All rights reserved.
'Six Discs' printed from https://nrich.maths.org/
Six circular discs, all of radius 1 unit, are packed in
different-shaped boxes so that the discs touch their neighbours and
the sides of the box.
- Without using any calculations, compare the areas of the bases
of boxes A and B and say which is the larger.
- Use estimation to list the packings in order of increasing
base area. Which are the hardest to put in
order?
- Now calculate the area of the base of each box and compare the
correct order with your estimate.