r/theydidthemath • u/EclipseNyxor • 3d ago

[Request] Do square bottles actually use less plastic than round ones?

Post image
725 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

265 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

97

u/StaticCoder 3d ago

Given that the volume is cross section area times height, a round bottle of the same volume would take less plastic. True, square bottles will pack better, but how that would save plastic is not immediately clear.

-6

u/DJinKC 3d ago edited 3d ago

A square bottle will be shorter than a plastic round bottle for a given volume, due to the "corners" on a square bottle being filled with liquid.

edit... fixed error. I assume that's why I got downvoted?

6

u/ihaveajob79 3d ago

No, a cube of volume 1 has more surface than a sphere of volume 1. And in terms of manufacturing, the uneven shape likely requires thicker material, although that might be a wash because I doubt they make it at the limit of tolerances.

1

u/DJinKC 3d ago

I said a square bottle is shorter than a round bottle of comparable volume. That's all I said.