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Why is it better to have round manhole covers than square ones?

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Why is it better to have round manhole covers than square ones?

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Detective Expert Asked on 17th September 2015 in Microsoft Interview Puzzles.
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    • 2 Answer(s)
    Best answer

    Round manhole covers can never fall into their own hole

    Square manholes can be turned in such a way as to fall into the hole.
    A circle always have the same diameter no matter which way you turn it.

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    SherlockHolmes Expert Answered on 17th September 2015.
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    You can easily understand it, this way –>
    The most common answer is simply that a round manhole cover can’t fall into the hole it covers.

    But I did tell you that there’s more than one answer. Heavy, round manhole covers are easier for one person to move by standing it on end and rolling. Also, you don’t have to “align” a manhole cover to it’s hole. Any orientation will do.

    My friend’s late father, a mechanical engineer, claimed an answer I hadn’t heard before : that round manhole covers are easier to manufacture. That’s a nifty answer and it would have done great in the interview except he also claimed that was the only reason and all the others were wrong. Whoops.

    And for the record, round is not the ONLY shape that can’t fall into its hole. There’s a class of such shapes referred to as “Reuleaux polygons“. The common characteristic is that they share a constant width or diameter.

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    NitinGurbani Genius Answered on 2nd October 2015.

    Neha Gupta

    Very nice answer 🙂

    on 9th October 2015.
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    NitinGurbani

    Thanks a lot dear.

    on 17th October 2015.
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