Sure thing! Here's an alternate strategy for the homework problem you posted:
Instead of tackling it head-on with complex calculations, we can approach this problem indirectly. The key is to find a connection between the radii of the larger and smaller spheres and the radius of the cylinder.
Let's use some geometric properties. We know that in any triangle, the sum of the lengths of two sides is always greater than the length of the third side. Using this principle, we can infer that:
2R + r > R_cyl
Similarly, the difference between the lengths of two sides is always less than the length of the third side, which leads to:
R + r < R_cyl
These inequalities help us establish a range for the ratio r/R, i.e., the dimensionless quantity that compares the radii of the smaller and larger spheres. We get:
r/R < /2R
or, alternatively,
2 > R - r > 0
If we know the radius of the cylinder, this provides a convenient range to experiment with for our calculations. We can use these bounds to establish an upper and lower limit for our final answer and ensure our approach is on the right track.
It's a bit of a Detour, but it's a straightforward application of Triangle Inequalities, which makes it a useful trick!