I was wondering, what is the strongest : a rectangle or an arc (same width/height) ?
you have to imagine the screenshot in 3D : you have 4 walls and a paved layer (the rectangle) or a dome
Reason why the rectangle would be stronger : same size as the dome but more raw materials
Reason why the dome would be stronger : the vertical pressure is directed to the walls -> Keystone
Assumptions :
- the 4 "walls" are infinitely strong
- the dome / rectangle has a weight negligible relatively to the force applied
- The dome / rectangle is not infinitely strong, it can bend / break given the vertical pressure
EDIT
I am making a plastic box and people will walk on it (box size is size of a foot). for some reasons walls must be thin and the box must be pretty thin too and we wondered what shape is stronger / is less likely to bend in its center