# The Bones Daley hypothesis ...true or false ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 10, 2013, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bones-daley-hypothesis-true-or-false/649893 "2013-02-10T19:35:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2013, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bones-daley-hypothesis-true-or-false/649893/21 "2013-02-11T14:26:37Z")
Binormal isn’t the maximum packing efficiency. You can get yet more efficient by adding another smaller size of sphere, to fit in the gaps still left in between size 1 and size 2. And then yet more by adding yet another, and so on. As the number of sphere sizes available increases, the packing efficiency approaches 1. ---
**Author:** ![Obnoxious\_Hood\_Ornament](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3be4f8/32.png) [@Obnoxious\_Hood\_Ornament](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obnoxious_Hood_Ornament)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2013, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bones-daley-hypothesis-true-or-false/649893/22 "2013-02-11T20:21:52Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > But very rarely close to spherical, regardless of the material of their composition, they’re usually flattened-round, bean-shaped, ovoid, irregular-rounded, etc. I’d like to offer my suspicion that that outcome is a function of how they are abraded over time in water. Piled atop each other in a bed, I would think water flow is not uniformly distributed across each stone’s entire surface. The surfaces of the stones affect the water flow around them, which I think would be less of a problem inside a tumbler. Just guessing; I’m a programmer, not an engineer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bones-daley-hypothesis-true-or-false/649893.md?page=1)