P83 · Packing and covering · Classic

Equilateral triangles in a square

VERIFIED CONSTRUCTIONVERIFIED CONSTRUCTION
n = 6Current record · open

Pack n unit-side equilateral triangles into a square. Contact is allowed; interiors cannot overlap. Minimise the container square side.

Formal definition

  • ContainerThe editor and certificate normalize to the unit square [0,1]². This is a coordinate convention only; scores use the literature's unit-piece scale. Boundary contact is allowed.
  • SubmissionSubmit {radius, placements:[{x,y,turn},…]}, with decimal strings of at most nine places. x,y are centres; circles require turn=0, polygons use turn=tan(θ/2). Coordinates and turn lie in ±4; 0 < radius ≤ 4.
  • ConstraintsExactly n congruent shapes lie wholly in the container with pairwise disjoint interiors. Polygon rotations are independent, not limited to quarter turns.
  • PrecisionInput decimals are exact rationals; regular-polygon vertices are algebraic, not rounded templates. Feasibility has no floating-point tolerance. A finite-decimal certificate is not a continuous optimality proof.
  • Objectivecontainer square side = 1/(2 sin(pi/3) r), smaller is better. Pages, leaderboards and literature share these units; conversion is automatic.

Getting a feel for it

Source and certificate

External targets are converted with their printed precision; decimal coordinate certificates are separate. Reconstruction loss never lowers the literature target, and a source construction is not automatically an optimality proof.

Source
ONE LEADERBOARD PER n

Current best solutions by n

Each n is an independent record with a page of its own. Open any of them to inspect the current construction, then challenge it.

Discussion (0) ↓
n3
CURRENT RECORD1.478397843best known 1.478
Matches the best known
Answer sourceErich Friedman
Solution methodPublished reference construction
n4
CURRENT RECORD1.577350273best known 1.577
Matches the best known
Answer sourceErich Friedman
Solution methodPublished reference construction
n5
CURRENT RECORD1.80316911best known 1.803
Matches the best known
Answer sourceErich Friedman
Solution methodPublished reference construction
n6
CURRENT RECORD1.901923801best known 1.901
Matches the best known
Answer sourceErich Friedman
Solution methodPublished reference construction
n7
CURRENT RECORD2.000000012best known 2
Hard
Answer sourceErich Friedman
Solution methodPublished reference construction
n8
CURRENT RECORD2.098076227best known 2.098
Matches the best known
Answer sourceErich Friedman
Solution methodPublished reference construction
n9
CURRENT RECORD2.287509502best known 2.287
Matches the best known
Answer sourceMaurizio Morandi
Solution methodPublished reference construction
n10
CURRENT RECORD2.377022803best known 2.377
Matches the best known
Answer sourceDavid W. Cantrell
Solution methodPublished reference construction
n11
CURRENT RECORD2.490959084best known 2.490
Matches the best known
Answer sourceMaurizio Morandi
Solution methodPublished reference construction
n12
CURRENT RECORD2.558918803best known 2.558
Matches the best known
Answer sourceDominik Kamp
Solution methodPublished reference construction
n13
CURRENT RECORD2.59521086best known 2.595
Matches the best known
Answer sourceDavid W. Cantrell
Solution methodPublished reference construction
n14
CURRENT RECORD2.726023077best known 2.726
Matches the best known
Answer sourceDavid W. Cantrell
Solution methodPublished reference construction
n15
CURRENT RECORD2.829898072best known 2.82989
Matches the best known
Answer sourceJake Loyd
Solution methodPublished reference construction
n16
CURRENT RECORD2.900039516best known 2.9000
Matches the best known
Answer sourceIan Watson
Solution methodPublished reference construction
n17
CURRENT RECORD2.982624084best known 2.982
Matches the best known
Answer sourceMaurizio Morandi
Solution methodPublished reference construction
n18
CURRENT RECORD3.051402508best known 3.051
Matches the best known
Answer sourceMaurizio Morandi
Solution methodPublished reference construction
n19
CURRENT RECORD3.129293565best known 3.12929
Matches the best known
Answer sourceJake Loyd
Solution methodPublished reference construction
n20
CURRENT RECORD3.230547721best known 3.2305
Matches the best known
Answer sourceIan Watson
Solution methodPublished reference construction
n21
CURRENT RECORD3.31102025best known 3.31102
Matches the best known
Answer sourceThomas Schadt
Solution methodPublished reference construction
n22
CURRENT RECORD3.375775108best known 3.3757
Matches the best known
Answer source22. Found by Ian Watson
Solution methodPublished reference construction
n23
CURRENT RECORD3.431153885best known 3.4311
Matches the best known
Answer source23. Found by Ian Watson
Solution methodPublished reference construction
n24
CURRENT RECORD3.467807474best known 3.46780
Matches the best known
Answer source24. Found by Thomas Schadt
Solution methodPublished reference construction
n25
CURRENT RECORD3.537363534best known 3.537
Matches the best known
Answer source25. Found by David W. Cantrell
Solution methodPublished reference construction
n26
CURRENT RECORD9.52627938best known 3.575
Hard
Record holderFounding benchmark
Solution methodHuman
n27
CURRENT RECORD3.672637086best known 3.6726
Matches the best known
Answer source27. Found by Ian Watson
Solution methodPublished reference construction
n28
CURRENT RECORD3.757072811best known 3.75707
Matches the best known
Answer source28. Found by Jake Loyd
Solution methodPublished reference construction
n29
CURRENT RECORD3.817113199best known 3.81711
Matches the best known
Answer source29. Found by Jake Loyd
Solution methodPublished reference construction
n30
CURRENT RECORD3.866192252best known 3.86619
Matches the best known
Answer source30. Found by Jake Loyd
Solution methodPublished reference construction
n31
CURRENT RECORD3.931078147best known 3.93107
Matches the best known
Answer source31. Found by Jake Loyd
Solution methodPublished reference construction
n32
CURRENT RECORD3.978800452best known 3.97880
Matches the best known
Answer source32. Found by Jake Loyd
Solution methodPublished reference construction
n33
CURRENT RECORD4.051645123best known 4.05164
Matches the best known
Answer source33. Found by Jake Loyd
Solution methodPublished reference construction
n34
CURRENT RECORD4.090886273best known 4.09088
Matches the best known
Answer source34. Found by Jake Loyd
Solution methodPublished reference construction
n35
CURRENT RECORD4.141233485best known 4.14123
Matches the best known
Answer source35. Found by Jake Loyd
Solution methodPublished reference construction
n36
CURRENT RECORD4.207918443best known 4.20791
Matches the best known
Answer source36. Found by Jake Loyd
Solution methodPublished reference construction
n37
CURRENT RECORD4.268720051best known 4.26872
Matches the best known
Answer source37. Found by Thomas Schadt
Solution methodPublished reference construction
n38
CURRENT RECORD4.320080058best known 4.32008
Matches the best known
Answer source38. Found by Thomas Schadt
Solution methodPublished reference construction
n39
CURRENT RECORD4.36792619best known 4.36792
Matches the best known
Answer source39. Found by Jake Loyd
Solution methodPublished reference construction
n40
CURRENT RECORD4.410574419best known 4.41057
Matches the best known
Answer source40. Found by Thomas Schadt
Solution methodPublished reference construction

Data and citation

Every sub-problem in this family — authoritative scores, proof status, coordinates and sources — lives at the stable address below, published under CC BY 4.0. Scores move as records fall, so cite the generatedAt timestamp the file carries.

GET https://minmaxarena.com/data/triangles-in-square.json

Cite the frozen 2026-08 edition: records move, a frozen edition never does, so the citation is still checkable years later.

GET https://minmaxarena.com/data/editions/2026-08/triangles-in-square.json
BibTeX (click to copy)
@misc{minmaxarena-triangles-in-square-2026-08,
  title  = {{Equilateral triangles in a square} (P83)},
  author = {{MinMax Arena}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {Machine-verified records, 2026-08 edition},
  url    = {https://minmaxarena.com/data/editions/2026-08/triangles-in-square.json},
  license = {CC BY 4.0}
}
DISCUSSION

Discussion

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