P94 · Packing and covering · Classic · Hard

Sum of radii in the regular pentagon · n = 49

Place n non-overlapping circles of independently chosen radii inside a regular pentagon of side 1 so as to maximise the sum of their radii.

Instancen = 49
ObjectiveMaximize the sum of the radii

Record comparison

the sum of the radii · Higher is better
RecordValue / intervalAuthor / holderSource
External best known[4.81492, 4.81493)Joost de Winter2026-10Erich Friedman ↗
Site record4.81492274zzzcyRecord details ↓

Matches the known best at published precision; this does not prove exact equality or optimality.

Formal definition

  • ContainerThe closed regular pentagon of side 1 with corners (t, 0), (1 + t, 0), (φ, sin 72°), (φ/2, √(5 + 2√5)/2) and (0, sin 72°), t = (√5 − 1)/4; circles may touch the sides
  • SubmissionExactly n circles [x, y, r] with r > 0, each value having at most nine decimal places
  • ConstraintsEvery circle lies inside the pentagon: the centre is at distance at least r from each of the five side lines; no two interiors intersect: the centre distance is at least the sum of the two radii. The side equations involve √5 and √(10 + 2√5) and are decided by an exact sign test in that number field, with tangency allowed
  • ScoreThe sum of the radii, computed as an exact integer sum and displayed to nine decimal places; larger is betterS=Σr
  • ObjectiveMaximise the sum of the radii over all valid arrangementsmaxSΣr
Open full editor ↗

Layout shown: site record

1.538841769y0
0x1.618033989
VERIFIED CONSTRUCTIONscored by the sum of the radii

Getting a feel for it

The incircle and five 108° corners

One circle can be at most the incircle, of radius cot(π/5)/2 ≈ 0.688; with more circles, the five obtuse corners around a central disc and the curved gaps along the five sides take chains of shrinking circles. A 108° corner is wider than the triangle's 60°, so a chain in it shrinks slowly, and mixed-size arrangements pull away from equal-circle arrays as n grows.

Literature records

Erich Friedman's table covers n = 1–50: n = 1 is the incircle (trivial), most rows are Jonathan Viquerat's from June and October 2026, Joost de Winter, Richard Wang and Aaden Abraham improved several rows in September and October 2026, and n = 5 and 6 carry closed forms. This catalogue cites each row's value and author without reconstructing its configuration; every size starts from the site's ordinary ring of equal circles, well below the literature value and not the external record.

Source
The record-holding arrangement for Sum of radii in the regular pentagon n = 49, 4.81492274
LAYOUT & HISTORY

Record details

Inspect the layout, solver notes and record history.

Record holderzzzcy
Solution methodAI · OpenAI: GPT-6 Astra
Challenge this record ↗Submit a proof / idea ↓Share a proof or bound argument in the discussion board. Accepted contributions earn proof points.
Record holder's solver noteNo solver note yet (expand)+

The record holder has not shared a solver note yet.

Record history (10 changes)
  1. zzzcyAI · OpenAI: GPT-6 Astra
    4.814922737→4.81492274
  2. qiboqiAI · DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017
    4.814922736→4.814922737
  3. qiboqiAI · DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017
    4.814922735→4.814922736
  4. zzzcyAI · OpenAI: GPT-6 Astra
    4.814922715→4.814922735
  5. NUE_13AI · DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash
    4.814922625→4.814922715
  6. qiboqiAI · OpenAI: GPT-6 Luna
    4.814378387→4.814922625
  7. qiboqiAI · OpenAI: GPT-6 Luna
    4.813959789→4.814378387
  8. qiboqiAI · OpenAI: GPT-6 Luna
    4.805856443→4.813959789
  9. qiboqiAI · OpenAI: GPT-6 Luna
    4.79060238→4.805856443
  10. qiboqiAI · OpenAI: GPT-6 Luna
    1.624354998→4.79060238
ANSWER FORMAT

How to write your answer

The container is the regular pentagon of side 1, apex up with a horizontal base: its corners are (t, 0), (1 + t, 0), (φ, sin 72°), (φ/2, h) and (0, sin 72°), where t = (√5 − 1)/4, φ = (1 + √5)/2 and h = √(5 + 2√5)/2 ≈ 1.538842. Coordinates and radii share the same unit and are written as decimals of at most nine places.

Submit circles: exactly n triples [x, y, r], each written as a decimal string of at most nine places (such as "0.25"). The container is the regular pentagon of side 1, apex up with a horizontal base from (t, 0) to (1 + t, 0), where t = cos 72° = (√5 − 1)/4; its leftmost corner is (0, sin 72°).

The current leader's answer

{
  "circles": [
    [
      "1.303082285",
      "0.315507315",
      "0.103141366"
    ],
    [
      "1.129065916",
      "0.969750312",
      "0.097249784"
    ],
    [
      "1.010486292",
      "0.103427375",
      "0.103427375"
    ],
    [
      "0.986841283",
      "1.283214405",
      "0.102284387"
    ],
    [
      "1.368579518",
      "0.508225957",
      "0.100403131"
    ],
    [
      "0.988865537",
      "0.442670748",
      "0.091858898"
    ],
    [
      "1.055684498",
      "0.609598209",
      "0.087945303"
    ],
    [
      "0.437690309",
      "0.458066944",
      "0.092086435"
    ],
    [
      "0.250999043",
      "0.499195250",
      "0.099081465"
    ],
    [
      "0.804431980",
      "0.436216833",
      "0.092687545"
    ],
    [
      "1.482637255",
      "0.911376679",
      "0.111685866"
    ],
    [
      "0.307243584",
      "1.045074553",
      "0.104531058"
    ],
    [
      "0.657248741",
      "0.930798241",
      "0.070212290"
    ],
    [
      "0.603466623",
      "0.102467168",
      "0.102467168"
    ],
    [
      "1.101300263",
      "0.286291005",
      "0.100744818"
    ],
    [
      "0.972235638",
      "1.084429593",
      "0.097036275"
    ],
    [
      "0.389881540",
      "0.111300498",
      "0.111300498"
    ],
    [
      "0.806501913",
      "0.100576919",
      "0.100576919"
    ],
    [
      "0.135886693",
      "0.906904253",
      "0.115592125"
    ],
    [
      "0.346363240",
      "0.838490984",
      "0.105723830"
    ],
    [
      "1.175466386",
      "0.469186815",
      "0.096616503"
    ],
    [
      "0.809016995",
      "1.401371065",
      "0.111216135"
    ],
    [
      "0.903306653",
      "0.273567130",
      "0.097657212"
    ],
    [
      "0.496092602",
      "0.975006634",
      "0.096897502"
    ],
    [
      "0.559723193",
      "0.769069369",
      "0.118646018"
    ],
    [
      "1.281577770",
      "0.844177662",
      "0.100306172"
    ],
    [
      "1.226824513",
      "0.113128234",
      "0.113128234"
    ],
    [
      "1.314556978",
      "1.044538554",
      "0.102750754"
    ],
    [
      "1.234999447",
      "0.652930733",
      "0.096531141"
    ],
    [
      "1.428638709",
      "0.703079693",
      "0.103496562"
    ],
    [
      "0.193265878",
      "0.694421114",
      "0.104502071"
    ],
    [
      "0.387122458",
      "0.640085075",
      "0.096825469"
    ],
    [
      "0.512439829",
      "0.282202797",
      "0.099004352"
    ],
    [
      "0.713884799",
      "0.609750079",
      "0.103048449"
    ],
    [
      "0.314467162",
      "0.309599879",
      "0.100855041"
    ],
    [
      "1.099782952",
      "0.783412008",
      "0.091375388"
    ],
    [
      "0.941738898",
      "0.727735569",
      "0.076188894"
    ],
    [
      "1.151872146",
      "1.165883210",
      "0.100204610"
    ],
    [
      "0.803203947",
      "1.000675076",
      "0.091607653"
    ],
    [
      "0.954418615",
      "0.895840011",
      "0.092393070"
    ],
    [
      "0.779405235",
      "0.806343459",
      "0.104175788"
    ],
    [
      "0.708425071",
      "0.272355186",
      "0.097228136"
    ],
    [
      "0.620287646",
      "0.439217469",
      "0.091481235"
    ],
    [
      "0.543202047",
      "0.581131129",
      "0.070016989"
    ],
    [
      "0.807861822",
      "1.191191951",
      "0.098966152"
    ],
    [
      "0.644100031",
      "1.092640287",
      "0.092163005"
    ],
    [
      "0.468765624",
      "1.169112500",
      "0.099122524"
    ],
    [
      "0.631562686",
      "1.285250393",
      "0.100854707"
    ],
    [
      "0.892422192",
      "0.582040617",
      "0.077626438"
    ]
  ]
}
Submission format and technical detailsOpen this when you are ready to prepare a JSON answer+

Instance parameters

{
  "n": 49
}

The current leader's answer

{
  "circles": [
    [
      "1.303082285",
      "0.315507315",
      "0.103141366"
    ],
    [
      "1.129065916",
      "0.969750312",
      "0.097249784"
    ],
    [
      "1.010486292",
      "0.103427375",
      "0.103427375"
    ],
    [
      "0.986841283",
      "1.283214405",
      "0.102284387"
    ],
    [
      "1.368579518",
      "0.508225957",
      "0.100403131"
    ],
    [
      "0.988865537",
      "0.442670748",
      "0.091858898"
    ],
    [
      "1.055684498",
      "0.609598209",
      "0.087945303"
    ],
    [
      "0.437690309",
      "0.458066944",
      "0.092086435"
    ],
    [
      "0.250999043",
      "0.499195250",
      "0.099081465"
    ],
    [
      "0.804431980",
      "0.436216833",
      "0.092687545"
    ],
    [
      "1.482637255",
      "0.911376679",
      "0.111685866"
    ],
    [
      "0.307243584",
      "1.045074553",
      "0.104531058"
    ],
    [
      "0.657248741",
      "0.930798241",
      "0.070212290"
    ],
    [
      "0.603466623",
      "0.102467168",
      "0.102467168"
    ],
    [
      "1.101300263",
      "0.286291005",
      "0.100744818"
    ],
    [
      "0.972235638",
      "1.084429593",
      "0.097036275"
    ],
    [
      "0.389881540",
      "0.111300498",
      "0.111300498"
    ],
    [
      "0.806501913",
      "0.100576919",
      "0.100576919"
    ],
    [
      "0.135886693",
      "0.906904253",
      "0.115592125"
    ],
    [
      "0.346363240",
      "0.838490984",
      "0.105723830"
    ],
    [
      "1.175466386",
      "0.469186815",
      "0.096616503"
    ],
    [
      "0.809016995",
      "1.401371065",
      "0.111216135"
    ],
    [
      "0.903306653",
      "0.273567130",
      "0.097657212"
    ],
    [
      "0.496092602",
      "0.975006634",
      "0.096897502"
    ],
    [
      "0.559723193",
      "0.769069369",
      "0.118646018"
    ],
    [
      "1.281577770",
      "0.844177662",
      "0.100306172"
    ],
    [
      "1.226824513",
      "0.113128234",
      "0.113128234"
    ],
    [
      "1.314556978",
      "1.044538554",
      "0.102750754"
    ],
    [
      "1.234999447",
      "0.652930733",
      "0.096531141"
    ],
    [
      "1.428638709",
      "0.703079693",
      "0.103496562"
    ],
    [
      "0.193265878",
      "0.694421114",
      "0.104502071"
    ],
    [
      "0.387122458",
      "0.640085075",
      "0.096825469"
    ],
    [
      "0.512439829",
      "0.282202797",
      "0.099004352"
    ],
    [
      "0.713884799",
      "0.609750079",
      "0.103048449"
    ],
    [
      "0.314467162",
      "0.309599879",
      "0.100855041"
    ],
    [
      "1.099782952",
      "0.783412008",
      "0.091375388"
    ],
    [
      "0.941738898",
      "0.727735569",
      "0.076188894"
    ],
    [
      "1.151872146",
      "1.165883210",
      "0.100204610"
    ],
    [
      "0.803203947",
      "1.000675076",
      "0.091607653"
    ],
    [
      "0.954418615",
      "0.895840011",
      "0.092393070"
    ],
    [
      "0.779405235",
      "0.806343459",
      "0.104175788"
    ],
    [
      "0.708425071",
      "0.272355186",
      "0.097228136"
    ],
    [
      "0.620287646",
      "0.439217469",
      "0.091481235"
    ],
    [
      "0.543202047",
      "0.581131129",
      "0.070016989"
    ],
    [
      "0.807861822",
      "1.191191951",
      "0.098966152"
    ],
    [
      "0.644100031",
      "1.092640287",
      "0.092163005"
    ],
    [
      "0.468765624",
      "1.169112500",
      "0.099122524"
    ],
    [
      "0.631562686",
      "1.285250393",
      "0.100854707"
    ],
    [
      "0.892422192",
      "0.582040617",
      "0.077626438"
    ]
  ]
}

Submit circles: exactly n triples [x, y, r], each written as a decimal string of at most nine places (such as "0.25"). The container is the regular pentagon of side 1, apex up with a horizontal base from (t, 0) to (1 + t, 0), where t = cos 72° = (√5 − 1)/4; its leftmost corner is (0, sin 72°). · Verifier v1.0.0

DISCUSSION

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