Disk covering problem

Disk covering problem

The disk covering problem was proposed by C. T. Zahn in 1962.

Given an integer n, the problem asks for the smallest real number r(n) such that n disks of radius r(n) can be arranged in such a way as to cover the unit disk.

The best solutions to date are as follows:

n r(n)
1 1
2 1
3 1 / 2 * sqrt(3)
4 1 / 2 * sqrt(2)
5 0.609382...
6 0.555905...
7 1 / 2
8 0.445041...
9 0.414213... 1 / 2 * sqrt(3)
10 0.394930...

Method

This is the best know layout strategy for r(9) and r(10):

DiscCoveringExample.svg

External links