Wonder whether this idea was ever used to build masonry arches?
Considering the bulk of the material, I rather doubt it.
Would be interesting to contemplate the thickness progressions that
give the maximum possible overhang. I doubt that there is a limit on
max. thickness; it might be more a matter of stability. However, say
that you arbitrarily make each block 15% thicker than the one on top
of it; then what? Nice project for a science fair!
A quick guess says that if the top block has the density of Styrofoam
(TM), and the next to the bottom that of, say, depleted uranium or
osmium, quite an impressive overhang should be possible.
Place an arbitrary limit on the number of blocks?
Nicholas Bodley |@| Waltham, Mass.
Please reply to nbodley@alumni.princeton.edu
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Autodidact and polymath to some extent
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