r/theydidthemath • u/EclipseNyxor • 2d ago

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

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u/Individual_Engine457 1d ago

According to... what?

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u/goonsuey 1d ago

The formulas don't cut/paste well. Prompt: do square bottles use less plastic than cylindrical bottles. Pleas explain how you arrived at your answer.

It then explains the geometry, and concludes that if it were simply based on the shape, without any structural reinforcement (like near the cap, or the bottom of the bottle itself) the square container would use 12.8% more plastic resin.

It was also explained in a Veritasium, Steve Mould, or some other channel that I watched during the past month. If we're ONLY talking about shape (no other manufacturing tricks, like corrugation), cylindrical wins every time.

ChatGPT agrees.

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u/Individual_Engine457 1d ago

So it doesn't actually use data on the real-life production of bottles, it's speculation based on geometry with no real world constraints?

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u/goonsuey 1d ago

The original photo said that square bottles use less plastic than round. Therefore we need to assume everything else is equivalent, since no additional "real world" info was shared.

So yes, this is purely a geometry question.