THE CONE PUZZLE.
(
Patchwork Puzzles)
I have a wooden cone, as shown in Fig. 1. How am I to cut out of it the
greatest possible cylinder? It will be seen that I can cut out one that
is long and slender, like Fig. 2, or short and thick, like Fig. 3. But
neither is the largest possible. A child could tell you where to cut, if
he knew the rule. Can you find this simple rule?
Answer:
The simple rule is that the cone must be cut at one-third of its
altitude.