A Sofa Around the Corner

The Prompt

Build a physical scale model of the L-shaped hallway (cardboard, paper, or any available material) and experiment with rigid cut-out shapes to navigate the corner. Begin with a semicircle; then try Hammersley's telephone-handset shape; then improvise. Record the largest shape (by estimated area) that you successfully manoeuvred around the corner, and note what the physical manipulation revealed about the problem that a diagram alone could not.

Completion Criteria

A photograph or sketch of the model and shapes, the approximate area of the largest successful shape, and a brief account of what physical experimentation disclosed.

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