Re: Archimedes- Inclined cyl in cylinder. Whats smallest Or pot (3mm thickness) to cook corn cob for one? 18cm x 5cm Diam?

In article <48215524$0$12918$4c368faf@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
emurphy42@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 says...
> don.lotto@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 wrote:
> 
> > Archimedes- Inclined cyl in cylinder. Whats smallest Or pot (3mm
> > thickness) to cook corn cob for one?  18cm x 5cm Diam?
> > 
> > pi r^2 * h = pi/4 x (18^2+5^2)*5.
> 
> When you omit this many words, it's difficult for us to figure out
> what you meant to ask.
> 
> Based on real-world knowledge of the typical shape of corn cobs,
> "18cm x 5cm Diam" can be expanded to "the puzzle involves a single
> cylindrical corn cob with length 18 cm and diameter 5 cm".
> 
> "pi/4 x (18^2+5^2)*5" suggests 1/4 of a cylindrical pot with diameter
> sqrt(18^2+5^2) cm (just long enough to hold the corn cob's diagonal in
> the xy plane) and height 5 cm.  Why 1/4, though?  And if we can tilt
> the corn cob in the direction of the z axis to decrease the internal
> volume of the pot, then why can't we tilt it fully upright (length
> parallel to the z axis), and use a pot with diameter 5 cm and height
> 18 cm?  (Well, slightly larger, so that there's at least a little room
> for water.)
> 
> The ability to fit the corn cob into the pot depends solely on the pot's
> internal dimensions; its thickness only affects its external dimensions.
> 
And by smallest pot - does he mean smallest volume or smallest stove-top
surface-area or smallest weight weight? A more 
challenging problem might be to assume the cob can be cut into exactly n
pieces (with planar cuts for example).
Mike