Expert: Sherman D. - 8/20/2005

Question
Hi--I have a large cabinet 80" high x48"x16". I need to lay it on it's side to get it through a doorway. Once inside, the ceiling is only 83" high. Will I be able to clear the ceiling and stand the cabinet up and is there a formula to solve this type of problem.
Thanks--Steve

Answer
Here are some measurements

      48"
__/ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ/|
_/________16"/_|
/___________/__|
|___________|__|
|___________|__|
|___________|__|
|________80"|__|
|___________|__|
|___________|__|
|___________|__/
|___________|_/
|___________|/
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
a^2 + b^2 = c^2
16^2 + 80^2 = c^2
256 + 6400 = c^2
c^2 = 6656
c = 81.58"

16^2 + 48^2 = c^2
c^2 = 256 + 2304
c^2 = 2560
c = 50.596"

80^2 + 48^2 = c^2
c^2 = 6400 + 2304
c^2 = 8704
c = 93.3"

Max. Length
d = sqrt(a^2 + b^2 + c^2)
d = sqrt(80^2 + 48^2 + 16^2)
d = sqrt(6400 + 256 + 2304)
d = sqrt(8960)
d = 94.657"

So it all depends on how you lay the cabinet.

info found at http://mathforum.org/dr.math/faq/formulas/faq.parallelepiped.html