3 ms·
Let's say 3 sides of a triangle enclose an area of A. If you add 3 more sides to get a hexagon, you double the perimeter (and therefore construction costs), bu
by danuker 5y ago
Let's say 3 sides of a triangle enclose an area of A.
If you add 3 more sides to get a hexagon, you double the perimeter (and therefore construction costs), but the area enclosed is 6A (6 of the original triangles fit in the new hexagon).
- jstanley 5y agoBut if you double the length of the sides on the hexagon, then you double the construction cost but quadruple the area. Should we conclude that bees should prefer to make their hives out of a single giant hexagon?
- seanc 5y agoNo, not at all! The goal of the comb isn't just about fencing off area, it's about having functional chambers that can be used for things. The chamber size is fit to purpose; smaller cells for incubating worker bee larvae, larger cells for drones and queens. Even for honey and nectar storage, the cells are sized to a single serving (fortunately roughly the same size as a hatchery cell), so the bees can consume what they need while the rest stays safely sealed with wax caps.
- hirako2000 5y agoThere is far more to it than a single criteria. - surface to building material - robustness (resistance to pressure I suppose is the most crutial) - surface optimisation (those things are holding something, honey, but also larvas). - chamber traversal (bees have been observed to traverse the Chambers). At least from the outside for auditing.