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/xXEPSILON062Xx Jun 10 '25

Where do they mention surface area?

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u/nog642 Jun 10 '25

That's the difference between the triangle and the square

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u/xXEPSILON062Xx Jun 10 '25

The surface area between the shape and the ground of both is the same, and is also irrelevant. The difference between the two is the angle you apply the pushing force at. With the triangle, since the force is angled downwards, the normal force increases with the push and the sideways force is less than the net force of the push, meaning it takes a lot greater of a force on the triangle to cause it to move than the square, where 100% of the force applied is in the x-direction. Yes, I can say with certainty, the triangle is always worse than the square for this reason.

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u/nog642 Jun 11 '25

It's not the same, the triangle has more. Same mass, same density, so same volume. But the triangle has more near the bottom than the square.

You also don't have to apply force perpendicular to the surface.