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TED-Ed

Why are manhole covers round? - Marc Chamberland

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Why are most manhole covers round? Sure it makes them easy to roll, and slide into place in any alignment. But there’s another, more compelling reason, involving a peculiar geometric property of circles and other shapes. Marc Chamberland explains curves of constant width and Barbier’s theorem.

Watch the video and finish the Think section to complete the lesson.


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Meet The Creators

Educator
Marc Chamberland
Director
Adam Comiskey
Artist
Clarrisa Hanekon, Ryan Flynn, Calvin Bacon
Script Editor
Eleanor Nelsen
Narrator
Addison Anderson

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