Allow for a one foot overlap at any landing, where the first board lies on two same sides of the moat at a corner, and where the second board lies on the first board and on the inside corner of the moat.

The result forms a triangle of base 8 feet and of height 8 feet. Next to that triangle is an equilateral triangle, formed from the 8 foot base of the first board with the outer sides of the moat. The height of this triangle is 4 feet. That is the max distance of an 8 foot board from the outer sides is the 4 feet from the center of the board to the outer corner.

So now we know the total distance from the inner corner to the outer corner is 12 feet, the length of the usuable second board plus the distance to the outer corner.

That 12 foot path forms an equilateral triangle with the width of the moat, with 12 feet beingf the hypotenuse (Sp?). So the max width of the moat must be 12 devided by the square root of 2, or 6x1.414= 8.484

• Oops- please sub isosceles for equilateral - yanniru - September 9, 2002 - 01:30 UTC
  • Unfortunately, we both calculated WRONG - carefuluniverse - September 9, 2002 - 17:17 UTC
  • Should we have plugged the geometry into polynomial equations? - carefuluniverse - September 9, 2002 - 17:28 UTC
    • I forgot to include the width - yanniru - September 9, 2002 - 20:57 UTC
• You proved the problem forgot the necessity of overlap - carefuluniverse - September 9, 2002 - 07:05 UTC
  • Overlap... - pmartin - September 9, 2002 - 22:07 UTC
    • Are you saying there's no need for boards to rest on the banks? - carefuluniverse - September 9, 2002 - 23:57 UTC
      • No - pmartin - September 10, 2002 - 04:54 UTC
        • I see...with my ears; I mean, with my eyes - carefuluniverse - September 11, 2002 - 15:16 UTC