Yes, I see that I overlooked a much better strategy! (So much for being "pretty sure".) —Dan
On Apr 18, 2016, at 11:09 AM, James Propp <jamespropp@gmail.com> wrote:
Erich has convinced me that one can attain L - eps for any eps > 0. Do you agree?
On Mon, Apr 18, 2016 at 2:00 PM, Dan Asimov <dasimov@earthlink.net> wrote:
Nice question, Jim.
I'm pretty sure the answer is that L/2 - eps is attainable for any eps > 0, but not for eps = 0. (L = clip length.)
On Apr 18, 2016, at 10:44 AM, James Propp <jamespropp@gmail.com> wrote:
. . . How tall a stable structure can you build using an idealized paperclip that you are allowed to bend but not disconnect, subject to the constraint that it must rest stably on a tabletop? Can you do better if you are allowed to break the paperclip into finitely many pieces?
(The question is assuredly imprecise, but I'm sure Dan and others will figure out the mathematically sweetest interpretation.)