24 Mar
2013
24 Mar
'13
12:01 p.m.
It's easy to use calculus to prove the most efficient can (cylinder + top + bottom) has a square cross-section, where efficient means it has the least area for a given volume. The well-known answer is that it has a square cross-section: height = diameter. This is easy to prove with standard calculus optimization methods. But what is the fastest way to see this? --Dan