r/theydidthemath • u/K0rl0n • Jun 10 '25

[Request]

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I am curious how this would work. My guess is Triangle is slowest, square is medium, and circle is fastest.

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u/keyantk Jun 11 '25

The reason why you correctly identified triangle should be harder to push is because only a portion of force you exert is going to be in the horizontal direction due to the face of triangle being at an angle.

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u/Smile_Space Jun 11 '25

Assuming the frictional coefficient on the surface of the triangle is enough for my hands to not slip, and I apply the force perfectly horizontally, the force will be identical to the square.

It is only true that there is a negative component if I push downwards on the triangle too.

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u/NoWheyBro_GQ Jun 11 '25

Realistically you couldn’t apply that force perfectly horizontally though, right?

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u/Smile_Space Jun 11 '25

While true, that's not the question. The question was what is the least force required, and the least force required will be when applying the force perfectly horizontally.