On Mar 18, 1:27*pm, Ed Pawlowski > wrote:
> On Sun, 18 Mar 2012 09:53:53 -0700 (PDT), tutall >
> wrote:
>
> >On Mar 17, 5:40*pm, Zz Yzx > wrote:
>
> >> grain size doesn't determine bulk density. *Size sorting does. *i.e.,
> >> if you fill a room with basketballs, there's a certain portion of
> >> voids between the balls. *Fill the same room with volley balls,
> >> softballs, baseballs, golf balls, marbles, or BBs, the void ratio
> >> stays the same, as long as the balls are of uniform size.
>
> >Forgive me, it's been a few decades since I've done this sort of math,
> >and only got through one year of calculus. But is this saying that a
> >10ft cube full of basketballs with have the same volume (not ratio) of
> >void space as the same space filled with BB's?
>
> >Am pretty sure this is wrong?
>
> This will make your brain hurthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphere_packinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Random_close_packhttp://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1151-2916.1961.tb13716.x...

Well, a little bit, none of these addressed volume though, just ratios
again.
Am pretty sure that as the diameter of the sphere decreases there is a
corresponding decline in free volume so that the close to 0 diameter
becomes, the closer to 0 free space volume is.
And visa versa, with the largest free volume being described by one
sphere that fits into the defined space.