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The Famous Hole in a Sphere

This incredible problem was first made famous by Martin Gardner with his ‘Mathematical Games’ column published in Scientific American throughout the 60s and 70s.

A cylindrical hole, 6 inches long, has been drilled straight through the centre of a solid sphere. What is the volume remaining in the sphere?

No additional data is needed to solve this. (really!)

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Discussion

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folcklord about 1 month ago
folcklord about 1 month ago
kuleshs about 1 month ago
kuleshs about 1 month ago
kuleshs about 1 month ago
kuleshs about 1 month ago
autodia about 1 month ago
eljobe about 1 year ago contains spoiler (show)
walkingagh about 1 year ago contains spoiler (show)
jamesrl about 1 year ago contains spoiler (show)
jamesrl about 1 year ago contains spoiler (show)
jamesrl about 1 year ago contains spoiler (show)
jamesrl about 1 year ago contains spoiler (show)
jamesrl about 1 year ago

Why won’t this let me post a comment?

tsion about 1 year ago contains spoiler (show)
stsamster about 1 year ago

itz so amassing

kash about 1 year ago

wow..not that easy..

icecow over 2 years ago

visulize the cylinder radius approaching zero with the length still 6 ;)

eertognam over 2 years ago

It’s not as hard as the answer makes it.

Hint: If there is to be a single answer, then it has to be the answer no matter what the height of the cap is.

johnp over 2 years ago

definitely a lot more complicated than it looks..

bobfoo over 2 years ago

Another hint: rounding one’s answer to any significant figures counts as a wrong answer. Do not round, this is a math problem not an engineering one.

ig0r over 2 years ago

Although it’s a little a vague on what exactly constitutes the length of a hole, this problem is truly incredible. Definitely got a wtf?actually? reaction from me.