How many ping pong balls can fit in a typical-sized room without being crushed?

[astrostar2]

Homework Statement

Estimate the number of ping pong balls (of radius 2cm) that would fit into a typical-sized room (without being crushed). A typical room is 17ft x 17ft x 7ft.

Homework Equations

none

The Attempt at a Solution

I tried a couple things:
1. After converting all dimensions to cm, I tried to see how many cubes of edge length 4cm would fit in the room.
2. I used a "spherical packing" method where I found the total volume of the room and multiplied it by .70.

Any help would be greatly appreciated :)

 

[lewando]

What were the results of what you have tried?

 

[rcgldr]

4 cm spheres can be packed closer together than 4 cm cubes. You'll need to figure out a pattern for the packing.