A man wanted to board a plane with a 5.4-ft-long steel rod, but airline regulations say that the maximum length of any object or parcel checked on board is 4 ft. Without bending or cutting the rod, or altering it in any way, how did the man check it through without violating the rule?

Question

A man wanted to board a plane with a 5.4-ft-long steel rod, but airline regulations say that the maximum length of any object or parcel checked on board is 4 ft. Without bending or cutting the rod, or altering it in any way, how did the man check it through without violating the rule? ​

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

By placing the rod along the diagonal of a box or container, the man could fit the rod into a space shorter than the rod's length, as the diagonal length of a rectangular space is longer than any of its sides. This utilizes the Pythagorean theorem, where the diagonal can accommodate lengths longer than the height or width of the container.

A Man Wanted to Board a Plane with a 5