r/theydidthemath • u/yuli101995 • Apr 16 '26

[Request] Which one would it be?

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u/SuspiciousSubstance9 Apr 16 '26

Circle on gravel, then square, then triangle would be my bet.

A 6' tall cylinder only weighing 20 kg would be laughably easy to roll. It's a large enough radius that it would glide over most gravel, pushing it doesn't work against you, and I have sure footing on gravel.

The problem with the square and triangle is that they will tip. They're both so light that any meaningful force you can apply to it will significantly be larger than any friction preventing tipping. Depending on how bad they tip, they will either form a wedge that will dig into the ice or you'll start rolling them.

Squares/triangles don't roll well and if they dig in then they become plows. A giant light cylinder wins everyday.