How many golf balls can fit in a bus

This article is from the archive of our partner

How many golf balls can fit in a bus
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OK, so maybe this isn't the most profound query of our time. But it's at least important to Google. On Monday, a Business Insider reader asked for advice in preparation for his or her interview with Google. To help the reader out, BI pointed to a list of questions Google has asked job candidates over the years. Quite a few of them are confoundedly difficult (e.g. how many piano tuner are there in the entire world?). One particularly difficult question was: "How many golf balls can fit in a school bus?"

So obviously this isn't the type of question they're looking for an exact answer to: it's more about how you work your way through it. Showing others how it's done, a Business Insider reader responds with the following answer:

I figure a standard school bus is about 8ft wide by 6ft high by 20 feet long - this is just a guess based on the thousands of hours I have been trapped behind school buses while traffic in all directions is stopped.

That means 960 cubic feet and since there are 1728 cubic inches in a cubit foot, that means about 1.6 million cubic inches.

I calculate the volume of a golf ball to be about 2.5 cubic inches (4/3 * pi * .85) as .85 inches is the radius of a golf ball.

Divide that 2.5 cubic inches into 1.6 million and you come up with 660,000 golf balls. However, since there are seats and crap in there taking up space and also since the spherical shape of a golf ball means there will be considerable empty space between them when stacked, I'll round down to 500,000 golf balls.

Which sounds ludicrous. I would have spitballed no more than 100k. But I stand by my math.

Of course, if we are talking about the kind of bus that George Bush went to school on or Barney Frank rides to work every day, it would be half that....or 250,000 golf balls.

Not too shabby! That's pretty much the same way we solved it, minus the math.

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.

Many golfers, especially beginners, have several interesting and unexpected questions, which sometimes require an experiment or complex calculation to answer.

Among these extremely difficult questions, “How Many Golf Balls Fit In a School Bus?” is one of the most common questions that has confused many experts.

Golf balls are very familiar, but being familiar with them may not help you answer that question. Instead, you must know about the specifications and measurements of golf balls and regular buses, as well as the calculating method in order to answer the question.

Can you calculate it? Are you curious how it is calculated? Find the answer here!

Table of Contents

  • Size and Volume of a Golf Ball
    • 1. Golf Ball Size
    • 2. Golf Ball Volume
  • A Standard Size of Regular School Buses
  • How Many Golf Balls Fit In a School Bus?
  • Conclusion

Size and Volume of a Golf Ball

The size and volume are obviously important for a golf ball and its related calculation. Without determining these factors, it is impossible to estimate the number of balls needed to fill the bus.

Of course, it is difficult to have the exact number applicable for all cases because there are many types of golf balls in different sizes and weights.

In this calculation, I would use the standard balls as references for size and weight, considering that it is the most popular golf ball type.

1. Golf Ball Size

Golf is a global sport with several variations, thus having a wide variety of golf balls. These balls are different in specifications, measurements, and features to specifically serve certain games and players.

However, when considering the most common type of ball for practice or competition, it is probably standard golf balls that strictly follow the rules of the R&E and the UGSA.

Golf ball sizeGolf ball size

Accordingly, the ball must have a diameter of 1.68 inches (or 42.67 in mm). This number has been tested to ensure fairness and effectiveness to all golf games and players.

The balls used in the field can sometimes be different from the above standard size. However, these balls are considered illegal golf balls. In most professional cases, a standard ball is normally required to join.

Therefore, when calculating the number of balls to fill the school bus, I would also prefer the popular standard balls with a diameter of 1.68 inches.

2. Golf Ball Volume

Besides the size regulations, golf balls weigh 1.62 ounces (45.93 grams) or 0.1012 lbs. We will use this number to determine the volume of a golf ball.

With a diameter of the ball of 1.68 inches, the radius of the golf ball is 0.84 inches. Applying the formula for calculating spherical volume, you can have the golf ball volume as follows:

V = 4/3 * π * R * R * R = 4/3 * 3.14 * 0.84 * 0.84 * 0.84 = 2.5 (cubic inches).

Remember this number for later calculations!

A Standard Size of Regular School Buses

How big is a school bus? How many golf balls can it hold? Keep reading as you are very close to the answer!

During your student life, have you ever wondered how big the bus you took was? It must be large enough to carry several passengers. And if you have no idea about the bus’s measurements, most regular buses are 20ft long, 8ft wide and 6ft tall.

Regular school busRegular school bus

These numbers show that the volume of the vehicle is 20 x 8 x 6 = 960 cubic feet. One cubic foot equals 1728 cubic inches, so the bus volume is equal to 1,658,880 cubic inches.

You may find it somehow confusing with all the complex numbers and formulas. . But it’s still better than manually putting golf balls into a large bus and counting one by one.

As you have found the volume, now come back to the initial question of how many golf balls needed to fill the bus. You just need to take the bus volume and divide it by the volume of a standard golf ball to get the result.

So, about 1.6 million cubic inches divided by 2.5 cubic inches, you will get approximately 660,000 balls to fit in an school bus. That’s a huge number, isn’t it?

However, this is not the final result. Since the bus would normally have seats, motor drive, and other things that occupy the space, the actual balls needed to fill in the remaining area are around 500,000 balls.

So a school bus will hold an estimated number of 500,000 golf balls. This is the number for a standard golf ball and regular bus. In fact, the result may be different in reality as bus designs are various.

This is just a simple and common way most people will use to calculate if asked the above question. In addition, there are still many other ways, and each calculation will give a different number.

Moreover, some other factors also affect the result, such as the spherical gaps or occupied space. Therefore, the result calculated can’t be 100% exactly, but may contain certain disparities depending on the cases.

However, in general, the differences between the estimated and actual numbers may not be significant.

If the above answers do not satisfy you, then watch the explainer video here for more information.

Watch Video: How Many Golf Balls Fit Into a School Bus?

Conclusion

Now, you may have understood the calculation of “How Many Golf Balls Fit In a School Bus?”. Using a similar method, you can also answer questions like How many golf balls can fit in a Boeing 747 or How many golf balls can fit in a bathtub?

Or maybe, one day, you may encounter this question in an interview. Now matter what happens, there is no need to worry because the answer is already in your head.

Lastly, if you find my article helpful, please share it with your friends so that more people come to know about the interesting information!

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How many golf balls can fill a bus?

85 inches is the radius of a golf ball. Divide that 2.5 cubic inches into 1.6 million and you come up with 660,000 golf balls.

How many balls would fit in a bus?

But if we wants exact answer we have to minus the space of seat and other stuff which is in the bus....................... 74*495,000) = 366,000 Balls. Suppose a standard school bus is about 8 feet wide by 6 feet high by 20 feet long – An assumption. It means 8 x 6 x 20 = 960 cubic feet volume capacity.

How many golf ball can we put in an empty bus?

So, about 1.6 million cubic inches divided by 2.5 cubic inches, you will get approximately 660,000 balls to fit in an school bus.

How many golf balls can fit in a Boeing 747?

Three thousand x 10,368 cubic inches means we have 31,104,000 cubic inches of space available. At three cubic inches per ball, a 747 could hold 10,368,000 balls.