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From: mike@erix.UUCP (Mike Williams)
Newsgroups: net.jokes
Subject: Re: Manhole covers (interview question)
Message-ID: <783@erix.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 21-Mar-85 06:43:51 EST
Article-I.D.: erix.783
Posted: Thu Mar 21 06:43:51 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 26-Mar-85 05:27:43 EST
References: <462@nbs-amrf.UUCP> <1282@amdahl.UUCP> <564@ahutb.UUCP>
Reply-To: mike@erix.UUCP (Mike Williams)
Organization: L M Ericsson, Stockholm, Sweden
Lines: 12
Summary: 

In article <564@ahutb.UUCP> leeper@ahutb.UUCP (m.r.leeper) writes:
>Curves of constant breadth came up during WWII.  The British were
>trying to mill hulls of submarines to have perfectly circular
>cross-sections.  

The British 50 pence coin is also a (seven sided) shape which has a constant
diameter. I believe that the idea was to make it usable in coin operated 
machines. Funny to think that research into submarines should influence the 
coinage.

BTW, shouldn't we change the sexist term manholes. Wouldn't personholes
be better?