Don’t just think that this is another howto where I am going to tell you people how to install/configure something so that after reading this you will be able to make a hollow iron sphere 😛 Actually, a lot of discussion has gone on how to really come up with a hollow iron sphere that is perfect.
We all went to SE class as usual. After 20-30 minutes, I got bored and was in a frustrating situation. I need not stay in the class but I could not come across a better way to kill time. Suddenly, this question came to mind “How one can really make a perfect hollow sphere?”. Pankaj was sitting next to me and I fired this question at him thinking that it would kill some time and may be in the meantime lecturer can catch us talking and throw both of us out of the class 😛 (didn’t really mean it, but for the sake of writing one can exaggerate).
Definition of perfect hollow iron sphere
A perfect hollow iron sphere is a sphere which is hollow from inside and there should be no hole through which air can pass from the core to the outer space and vice versa. The inner surface should be perfect with no deformations. The constraint is that you can’t join two hollow hemi spheres and make a hollow sphere out of it. After you have the hollow sphere, there should be absolutely nothing inside the hollow part (e.g. some material or whatever. air is permitted.).
Solutions
Pankaj tried really hard and proposed different solutions for making a hollow sphere. But none of them could really convince me and he can’t come up with an idea to make a hollow iron sphere. Sambhav and Ankush was sitting just in front of us. Pankaj shared the *million dollar problem* with them and asked them to come up with a solution. Pankaj thought that these guyz are nine pointers and may help him. But it was really disappointing that even they could not come up with an idea that can help us build a hollow iron sphere. Then the question was forwarded to Kiran, Deepak and Rishi as well. But everyone was equally disappointing. Below are some solutions proposed.
1. First solution was proposed by Pankaj that we somehow make two hollow hemispheres and then join them to make a hollow iron sphere. But this solution violates the definition of a perfect hollow iron sphere. So rejected.
2. Second solution was proposed by Pankaj again that we make a thin hollow sphere by beating an iron sheet and later deposit layers of iron on it. But this is practically impossible because when you will try to deposit the molten iron on the thin sheet, then the sheet itself will melt. So rejected.
3. Third solution was proposed by Sambhav that we make a ball of wax and put it in a container containing molten iron. We will leave a hole in the iron part so that wax can come out on heating to high temperatures. Now, I really doubt these guyz with high CGPAs. Can you ever think of this idea? This is like committing a suicide if inteviewer happened to ask that quesiton in your job interview. How can you think that wax will be solid at melting point of iron 🙂 So rejected.
4. Fourth solution was proposed by Ankush that we make a ball of clay and then we deposit iron layers on it and then we again cover it will a layer of clay. Now, I don’t really get what he was trying. Again a high CGPA victim. I think he was trying to make a hollow sphere of clay(?). So rejected.
Hint
You can’t use a material for the core whose melting point is higher that iron because you will not be able to remove it from the core once you deposited iron layers over it. You can’t even use a material for the core whose melting point is lower than iron because when you put molten iron over it, the core will melt and you’ll never have a hollow sphere. Just keep thinking.
While these people were putting forward there solutions, I was cursing them. I said that you people are now studying at undergraduate level and still you don’t know how to make a hollow iron sphere. This discussion lasted till the end of SE class and they could not come up with a solution. And if you are still reading this post, I think you are also curious about this question and dying to know the solution.
I have to say that this question is still mystery for all of us. Even I don’t know how to make a perfect hollow iron sphere. And by any chance or coincidence if you know the solution, please please leave the solution in the comments or give me a link.
PS1 : BTP report and presentation went fine. Profs were impressed 😛
PS2: Looking forward for summer vacations as an opportunity to get into a new world 🙂
PS3: Writing crap these days.
PS4: My earning on Google adsense crossed $10. So, I have got the money back that I spent on buying this domain 🙂
