# How many McFunballs would it take to fill this room? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 13, 2006, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-mcfunballs-would-it-take-to-fill-this-room/348248 "2006-03-13T23:41:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2006, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-mcfunballs-would-it-take-to-fill-this-room/348248/1 "2006-03-13T23:41:55Z")
I have a very odd room that I don’t know what to do with. Its roughly 16’X11’, and has a step down of about 10". I want to make it into a gigantic ball pit. I also don’t have very good math skills. [This](http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5982803584&category=11744) is the best deal I’ve found so far… around 16 cents a ball? 1,000 of them, though… Is that too many? Too few? Any help would be appreciated. I am mathmatically challanged. Buy Whizzo Butter. ---
**Author:** ![Rhubarb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/59ef9b/32.png) [@Rhubarb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhubarb)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2006, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-mcfunballs-would-it-take-to-fill-this-room/348248/2 "2006-03-13T23:54:40Z")
By my rough calculations, it would take about 8500 balls to fill that room to a depth of 9". However, I assumed cubical packing, rather than hexagonal, so your actual number will probably be about 15% higher, so at least 10,000. Also, I don’t think 9" is nearly deep enough. ---
**Author:** ![Rhubarb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/59ef9b/32.png) [@Rhubarb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhubarb)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2006, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-mcfunballs-would-it-take-to-fill-this-room/348248/3 "2006-03-13T23:55:47Z")
PS - Welcome to the boards! ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2006, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-mcfunballs-would-it-take-to-fill-this-room/348248/4 "2006-03-13T23:58:03Z")
The room is 16 feet long by 11 feet wide, but you need a third dimension: how deep do you want the balls to be? When you open the door and step down into the room, how far up on your legs should the balls come? ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2006, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-mcfunballs-would-it-take-to-fill-this-room/348248/5 "2006-03-13T23:58:09Z")
I came up with about 8300 balls but that assumed it was a cube as well. I believe balls will take more because they aren’t a whole cube so a guess would be more like 10,000 balls. ---
**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2006, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-mcfunballs-would-it-take-to-fill-this-room/348248/6 "2006-03-13T23:59:12Z")
Just don’t taunt the McFunballs. With that many, you’ll never stand a chance. ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-mcfunballs-would-it-take-to-fill-this-room/348248/7 "2006-03-14T00:18:04Z")
Hmm… My budget allows for about 1/10th of that (I was planning at about 1,000 balls). Are there other options to acquire a LOT of those fun balls? One that doesn’t require going through the mail? Like a somewhat local distributer? I assume McDonalds either makes their own or contracts it to one big company… so asking them probably wouldn’t be much help. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-mcfunballs-would-it-take-to-fill-this-room/348248/8 "2006-03-14T02:00:48Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > I came up with about 8300 balls but that assumed it was a cube as well. I believe balls will take more because they aren’t a whole cube so a guess would be more like 10,000 balls. Good guess! If you fill up to **Rhubarb** ’s rough and ready 9" mark, you will need 10,563 balls if we are talking about the most efficient [face-centered cubic](http://wb.chem.lsu.edu/htdocs/people/sfwatkins/MERLOT/lattice/04fcc.html) packing (and if I didn’t flub the math). This particular type of sphere packing fills 74% of the available volume. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-mcfunballs-would-it-take-to-fill-this-room/348248/9 "2006-03-14T02:26:05Z")
I think your best bet is to ask at the local McDonald’s, Chunkee Cheese, etc. Someone there has to have some idea what the name of their supplier is. It’s way to cool of an idea to let it go to waste. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-mcfunballs-would-it-take-to-fill-this-room/348248/10 "2006-03-14T02:27:30Z")
I thought Ronald only had two? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-mcfunballs-would-it-take-to-fill-this-room/348248/11 "2006-03-14T02:28:55Z")
You may also be able to reduce the size of the room a bit by building a simple box-like bench around the parameter of the room. This could provide loungeing space, room to set drinks, etc. and reduce the cost of filling the room. ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-mcfunballs-would-it-take-to-fill-this-room/348248/12 "2006-03-14T02:33:47Z")
**even sven** , I like your idea of the benches. I’ll look into it. I’ll post links to a couple of pictures of the room whenever I can get the chance to give you guys an idea of the project. My digital camera died a while back so I’ll borrow a friend’s. ---
**Author:** ![Blueapple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Blueapple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blueapple)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-mcfunballs-would-it-take-to-fill-this-room/348248/13 "2006-03-14T21:27:57Z")
Somewhat related (with humor) [http://www.cockeyed.com/inside/trailblazer/trailblazer.html](http://www.cockeyed.com/inside/trailblazer/trailblazer.html) ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2006, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-mcfunballs-would-it-take-to-fill-this-room/348248/14 "2006-03-15T03:35:30Z")
This company has hollow and solid plastic balls in a variety of shapes and colors: [http://www.product-components.com/balls.html](http://www.product-components.com/balls.html) Unfortunately, they don’t list the prices online, so you’d have to ask them for a quotation. Might be cheaper than $.16 each. ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-mcfunballs-would-it-take-to-fill-this-room/348248/15 "2006-03-16T08:33:03Z")
**onceClayton\_e** , is there any specific reason why you signed up with a new username? Please send an email to **TubaDiva** with an explanation. Thanks. - **xash** General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-mcfunballs-would-it-take-to-fill-this-room/348248/16 "2006-03-16T18:07:42Z")
> [@ouryL](#): > > I thought Ronald only had two? :eek: Clowns have no balls. ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-mcfunballs-would-it-take-to-fill-this-room/348248/17 "2006-03-16T23:38:56Z")
Hi **xash** , I e-mailed **Tuba**. It was a password thing and I don’t use my former e-mail address. And **gigi** … I now have some terrible mental images… though with or without… Thinking about clown balls is a scary scary thing. I’m still looking for any advice… I like the bench idea if the cost of the balls ends up being way too much. I called a couple of McDonald’s with play places but they either didn’t know where to get them or they thought it was a prank call. Well… I would’ve thought the same if around 10 at night someone called with that question… Anyway, thanks all.