Brain Teasers
Overhanging Bricks
What is the maximum overhang that you can create with an infinite supply of bricks?
You cannot use any mortar or attach the bricks to each other or anything else in any way. The bricks are simply dry stacked on level ground and jut out over a ledge.
Assume that you have an infinite amount of space to work with and that a brick is 22x10x6 cm in dimension and weighs 5kg. Also assume that we are on earth.
You cannot use any mortar or attach the bricks to each other or anything else in any way. The bricks are simply dry stacked on level ground and jut out over a ledge.
Assume that you have an infinite amount of space to work with and that a brick is 22x10x6 cm in dimension and weighs 5kg. Also assume that we are on earth.
Hint
How far can brick 1 be from brick 0?Answer
You can create an infinite overhang.Let us assume that the brick is of length 1.
To determine the place of the center of mass a(n):
a(1)=1/2
a(n)=1/n[(n-1)*a(n-1)+[a(n-1)+1/2]]=a(n-1)+1/(2n)
The limit for n->oo of half the Harmonic series is oo.
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