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PaperclipPerfector  11mo ago (text post)   1822 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.

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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