Why Are Manhole Covers Round? - ScienceABC

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A manhole cover is round because it won’t fall through the opening on which it sits, it can simply be rolled to reach a destination much faster, while applying relatively little effort and so on.

I didn’t know how popular this question actually was, but once I started to do some research about it online, I realised that it’s actually a very common question to be asked during job interviews for corporate positions (most of which are not even distantly related to architecture or civil engineering!). You’ve also seen countless manhole covers while strolling along the street, but have you ever asked yourself why they are that shape?

Manhole
Manhole covers are usually round (Photo Credit : Pixabay)

What’s the reason behind this innocuous detail underfoot in our daily lives? Why aren’t manhole covers some other shape, like a triangle, a rectangle or even a square? Squares are quite a popular choice for lids and covers, so why wouldn’t they work in this situation?

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