Block-stacking problem
In statics, the block-stacking problem (sometimes known as The
Leaning Tower of Lire (Johnson 1955), also the book-stacking
problem, or a number of other similar terms) is a puzzle concerning
the stacking of blocks at the edge of a table.
Contents
Statement
History
Variants
Single-wide The first nine blocks in the solution to the single-
Multi-wide wide block-stacking problem with the overhangs
indicated
Robustness
References
External links
Statement
The block-stacking problem is the following puzzle:
Place identical rigid rectangular blocks in a stable stack on a table edge in such a way as to maximize the
overhang.
History
Paterson et al. provide a long list of references on this problem going back tomechanics texts from the middle of the 19th century.
Variants
Single-wide
The single-wide problem involves having only one block at any given level. In the ideal case of perfectly rectangular blocks, the
solution to the single-wide problem is that the maximum overhang is given by times the width of a block. This sum is one
half of the corresponding partial sum of the harmonic series. Because the harmonic series diverges, the maximal overhang tends to
infinity as increases, meaning that it is possible to achieve any arbitrarily lar
ge overhang, with sufficient blocks.
Maximum overhang
N
expressed as a fraction decimal relative size
1 1/2 0.5
2 3/4 0.75
3 11/12 ~0.91667
4 25/24 ~1.04167
5 137/120 ~1.14167
6 49/40 1.225
7 363/280 ~1.29643
8 761/560 ~1.35893
9 7 129/5 040 ~1.41448
10 7 381/5 040 ~1.46448
Maximum overhang
N
expressed as a fraction decimal relative size
11 83 711/55 440 ~1.50994
12 86 021/55 440 ~1.55161
13 1 145 993/720 720 ~1.59007
14 1 171 733/720 720 ~1.62578
15 1 195 757/720 720 ~1.65911
16 2 436 559/1 441 440 ~1.69036
17 42 142 223/24 504 480 ~1.71978
18 14 274 301/8 168 160 ~1.74755
19 275 295 799/155 195 040 ~1.77387
20 55 835 135/31 039 008 ~1.79887
Maximum overhang
N
expressed as a fraction decimal relative size
21 18 858 053/10 346 336 ~1.82268
22 19 093 197/10 346 336 ~1.84541
23 444 316 699/237 965 728 ~1.86715
24 1 347 822 955/713 897 184 ~1.88798
25 34 052 522 467/17 847 429 600 ~1.90798
26 34 395 742 267/17 847 429 600 ~1.92721
27 312 536 252 003/160 626 866 400 ~1.94573
28 315 404 588 903/160 626 866 400 ~1.96359
29 9 227 046 511 387/4 658 179 125 600 ~1.98083
30 9 304 682 830 147/4 658 179 125 600 ~1.99749
The number of blocks required to reach at least block-lengths past the edge of the table is 4, 31, 227, 1674, 12367, 91380, ...
(sequence A014537 in the OEIS).[1]
Multi-wide
Multi-wide stacks using counterbalancing can give larger overhangs than a single width stack. Even for three blocks, stacking two
counterbalanced blocks on top of another block can give an overhang of 1, while the overhang in the simple ideal case is at most
11/12. As Paterson et al. (2007) showed, asymptotically, the maximum overhang that can be achieved by multi-wide stacks is
proportional to the cube root of the number of blocks, in contrast to the single-wide case in which the overhang is proportional to the
logarithm of the number of blocks.
Robustness
Hall (2005) discusses this problem, shows that it is robust to nonidealizations
such as rounded block corners and finite precision of block placing, and
introduces several variants including nonzero friction forces between adjacent
blocks.
References
1. Sloane, N. J. A. (ed.). "Sequence A014537 (Number of books
required for n book-lengths of overhang in the harmonic book
stapling problem.)" (https://oeis.org/A014537). The On-Line
Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences. OEIS Foundation.
Comparison of the solutions to the single-
Hall, J. F. (2005). "Fun with stacking blocks".American Journal of
Physics. 73 (12): 1107–1116. Bibcode:2005AmJPh..73.1107H. wide (top) and multi-wide (bottom) block-
doi:10.1119/1.2074007. stacking problem with three blocks
Johnson, Paul B. (April 1955). "Leaning T ower of Lire". American
Journal of Physics. 23 (4): 240–240.
Bibcode:1955AmJPh..23..240J. doi:10.1119/1.1933957.
Paterson, Mike; Peres, Yuval; Thorup, Mikkel; Winkler, Peter; Zwick, Uri (2007). "Maximum overhang".
arXiv:0707.0093 [math.HO].
External links
Weisstein, Eric W. "Book Stacking Problem". MathWorld.
"Building an Infinite Bridge". PBS Infinite Series. 2017-05-04. Retrieved 2018-09-03.
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