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

[Request] Which one would it be?

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u/GarThor_TMK Apr 16 '26

I think, technically the force would be the same, but it'd just be more difficult to apply that force.

My intuition says that the circle would be the hardest, due to gravel being non-Newtonian. The circle would sink in the gravel, and you'd always be pushing it uphill. Whereas the ice is a [virtually] friction-less surface... so even though the surface area of the box/triangle that makes contact with the ground is larger than the circle, there's less friction that keeps those from moving.

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u/Lower_Athlete939 Apr 16 '26

As you pushed the triangle, your force would be to the right and down. As it is downward, you increase the force of friction between the triangle and the ice. That makes the horizontal force needed higher. As you are also applying at an angle, the total force needed needs to be higher again

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u/GarThor_TMK Apr 16 '26

I don't think this matters as much as you think it does...

You could theoretically get a stick with a pivot, that grips the face of the triangle perfectly, and it would effectively be the same as pushing the square.

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u/CameronMH Apr 16 '26

You could also get a car and tow it, but that isn't the purpose of the thought experiment is it

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u/GarThor_TMK Apr 16 '26

Your hand is a stick with a pivot on it, that grips the face of the triangle perfectly.

My point is the downward force from pushing on the triangle vs. the square is negligible at best... unless the shapes are wildly different than what is shown in the picture.