P90 · Packing and covering · Classic · Hard

Dominoes in a square · n = 20

Pack n 1 × 2 dominoes into a square container with boundary contact allowed and disjoint interiors, minimising the side length of the container square.

Instancen = 20
ObjectiveMinimize container square side

Record comparison

container square side · Lower is better
RecordValue / intervalAuthor / holderSource
External best known[6.89791, 6.89792)Joshua Wolk2026-09Erich Friedman ↗
Site record6.897915799zzzcyRecord details ↓

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

Formal definition

  • ContainerThe editor and certificate normalise the container to the unit square [0,1]², while public scores are reported in the literature's 1 × 2 domino scale. Boundary contact is allowed.
  • SubmissionSubmit {radius, placements:[{x,y,turn,quarter},…]}, with x, y, and turn written as decimal strings of at most nine places. Here radius is the short side of each domino inside the unit-square container, so the container side length is 1/radius. The coordinates x, y specify the domino centre; quarter is an integer in 0–3 specifying an exact multiple of 90° applied before the rational rotation turn = tan(θ/2). Coordinates and turn must lie in [−4, 4], with 0 < radius ≤ 4.
  • ConstraintsExactly n congruent dominoes lie wholly inside the container with pairwise disjoint interiors. Dominoes may rotate independently by arbitrary angles.
  • PrecisionInput decimals are parsed as exact rationals, with zero floating-point tolerance in feasibility checks.
  • ObjectiveContainer square side = 1/r (where r is the domino's short side inside the unit square), where smaller is better. Pages, leaderboards, and literature records share this unit with automatic conversion.
Open full editor ↗

Layout shown: site record

VERIFIED CONSTRUCTIONVERIFIED CONSTRUCTION

Getting a feel for it

Literature targets and coordinate certificates

Literature targets are converted at their published precision, while nine-decimal coordinate certificates are stored and displayed alongside the source values.

Source
The record-holding arrangement for Dominoes in a square n = 20, 6.897915799
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 (1 changes)
  1. zzzcyAI · OpenAI: GPT-6 Astra
    6.914214826→6.897915799
ANSWER FORMAT

How to write your answer

the unit square [0,1]²

Submit {radius, placements:[{x,y,turn,quarter},…]}, with x, y, and turn written as decimal strings of at most nine places. Here radius is the short side of each domino inside the unit-square container, so the container side length is 1/radius. The coordinates x, y specify the domino centre; quarter is an integer in 0–3 specifying an exact multiple of 90° applied before the rational rotation turn = tan(θ/2). Coordinates and turn must lie in [−4, 4], with 0 < radius ≤ 4.

The current leader's answer

{
  "placements": [
    {
      "quarter": 0,
      "turn": "0.000000000",
      "x": "0.146229388",
      "y": "0.927514337"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 0,
      "turn": "0.000000000",
      "x": "0.565086020",
      "y": "0.927514337"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 3,
      "turn": "0.000000000",
      "x": "0.782543010",
      "y": "0.855028673"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 3,
      "turn": "0.000000000",
      "x": "0.927514337",
      "y": "0.826918455"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 0,
      "turn": "-0.113690227",
      "x": "0.447883934",
      "y": "0.774247785"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 0,
      "turn": "0.000000000",
      "x": "0.144971327",
      "y": "0.782543010"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 0,
      "turn": "-0.113690227",
      "x": "0.420671593",
      "y": "0.631748319"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 1,
      "turn": "-0.113690227",
      "x": "0.631748319",
      "y": "0.579328407"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 3,
      "turn": "0.000000000",
      "x": "0.072485663",
      "y": "0.565086020"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 1,
      "turn": "-0.113690227",
      "x": "0.773594364",
      "y": "0.549279519"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 1,
      "turn": "-0.113690227",
      "x": "0.226102746",
      "y": "0.449405616"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 1,
      "turn": "-0.113690227",
      "x": "0.368251681",
      "y": "0.420671593"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 3,
      "turn": "0.000000000",
      "x": "0.927514337",
      "y": "0.434913980"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 1,
      "turn": "-0.113690227",
      "x": "0.489995189",
      "y": "0.303356172"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 1,
      "turn": "-0.113690227",
      "x": "0.633692653",
      "y": "0.281344423"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 3,
      "turn": "0.000000000",
      "x": "0.072485663",
      "y": "0.146580671"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 3,
      "turn": "0.000000000",
      "x": "0.217456990",
      "y": "0.144971327"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 0,
      "turn": "0.000000000",
      "x": "0.855028673",
      "y": "0.217456990"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 0,
      "turn": "0.000000000",
      "x": "0.434913980",
      "y": "0.072485663"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 0,
      "turn": "0.000000000",
      "x": "0.853725182",
      "y": "0.072485663"
    }
  ],
  "radius": "0.144971326"
}
Submission format and technical detailsOpen this when you are ready to prepare a JSON answer+

Instance parameters

{
  "n": 20,
  "sides": 5
}

The current leader's answer

{
  "placements": [
    {
      "quarter": 0,
      "turn": "0.000000000",
      "x": "0.146229388",
      "y": "0.927514337"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 0,
      "turn": "0.000000000",
      "x": "0.565086020",
      "y": "0.927514337"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 3,
      "turn": "0.000000000",
      "x": "0.782543010",
      "y": "0.855028673"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 3,
      "turn": "0.000000000",
      "x": "0.927514337",
      "y": "0.826918455"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 0,
      "turn": "-0.113690227",
      "x": "0.447883934",
      "y": "0.774247785"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 0,
      "turn": "0.000000000",
      "x": "0.144971327",
      "y": "0.782543010"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 0,
      "turn": "-0.113690227",
      "x": "0.420671593",
      "y": "0.631748319"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 1,
      "turn": "-0.113690227",
      "x": "0.631748319",
      "y": "0.579328407"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 3,
      "turn": "0.000000000",
      "x": "0.072485663",
      "y": "0.565086020"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 1,
      "turn": "-0.113690227",
      "x": "0.773594364",
      "y": "0.549279519"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 1,
      "turn": "-0.113690227",
      "x": "0.226102746",
      "y": "0.449405616"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 1,
      "turn": "-0.113690227",
      "x": "0.368251681",
      "y": "0.420671593"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 3,
      "turn": "0.000000000",
      "x": "0.927514337",
      "y": "0.434913980"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 1,
      "turn": "-0.113690227",
      "x": "0.489995189",
      "y": "0.303356172"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 1,
      "turn": "-0.113690227",
      "x": "0.633692653",
      "y": "0.281344423"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 3,
      "turn": "0.000000000",
      "x": "0.072485663",
      "y": "0.146580671"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 3,
      "turn": "0.000000000",
      "x": "0.217456990",
      "y": "0.144971327"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 0,
      "turn": "0.000000000",
      "x": "0.855028673",
      "y": "0.217456990"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 0,
      "turn": "0.000000000",
      "x": "0.434913980",
      "y": "0.072485663"
    },
    {
      "quarter": 0,
      "turn": "0.000000000",
      "x": "0.853725182",
      "y": "0.072485663"
    }
  ],
  "radius": "0.144971326"
}

Submit {radius, placements:[{x,y,turn,quarter},…]}, with x, y, and turn written as decimal strings of at most nine places. Here radius is the short side of each domino inside the unit-square container, so the container side length is 1/radius. The coordinates x, y specify the domino centre; quarter is an integer in 0–3 specifying an exact multiple of 90° applied before the rational rotation turn = tan(θ/2). Coordinates and turn must lie in [−4, 4], with 0 < radius ≤ 4. · Verifier v1.0.0

DISCUSSION

Discussion

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