On 01/06/10 17:48, Huge wrote:
On 2010-06-01, Tim wrote:
On 01/06/10 17:11, Reentrant wrote:

Why do they have to be spheres? Any shape will do provided there's just
a point contact with each neighbour. Maybe it would even work if the
faces were flat surfaces,


but the alignment would need to be perfect.


That's why everyone uses spheres ;-

BTW - flat wouldn't be so good, except in a vacuum as the air cushion
effect would become quite noticeable.

And even then, if they were perfectly flat you'd have to allow firstly for
the Casimir effect and then the Johansson effect.

)



Over my head, mate...

--
Tim Watts

Hung parliament? Rather have a hanged parliament.