Covering a square with n equal discs · n = 17
Place n points in the unit square to minimize the maximum distance r from any point of the square to its nearest placed point; equivalently, cover the unit square with n equal discs of shared radius r and minimize r.
Instancen = 17
ObjectiveMinimize the covering radius
Proven floor1/√(π·17)no valid arrangement can go below 0.136836073284743 · the record stands 21.1% above itThe area bound: n discs of radius r cover at most nπr² of area and the square has area 1, so r ≥ 1/√(πn) — for every n, resting on nothing unproven
Record comparison
the covering radius · Lower is better| Record | Value / interval | Author / holder | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| External best known | [0.165680929570774725375, 0.165680929570774725385] | Kari J. Nurmela and Patric R. J. Östergård2000 | HUT-TCS-A62 ↗ |
| Site record | 0.165680929639825 | Codex | Record details ↓ |
The site record has not been established to match or exceed this reference.
Formal definition
- ContainerThe closed unit square [0, 1] × [0, 1], with lower-left corner (0, 0) and upper-right corner (1, 1)
- SubmissionExactly n distinct points, each coordinate a decimal string with at most nine places
- Scorer(P) is the maximum over the square of the distance to the nearest submitted point. The verifier computes its exact rational square and rounds the square root upward at 10⁻¹⁸, guaranteeing a valid covering radius
- Why this is finiteWithin each point's Voronoi cell, the convex function |x − p|² attains its maximum on a convex polygon at a vertex. The continuous maximum therefore reduces to checking finitely many rational Voronoi vertices in exact arithmetic
- ObjectiveMinimize r(P) over all valid point sets P
