More questions for the triangle of circles:

1.     What if the triangle had a more circles on each side? What would be the smallest and largest possible sums?

2.     Is there a pattern to the smallest possible sum for the different-sized triangles?

3.     What would happen if I began with a square instead of a triangle?

4.     What if I changed the number of circles on each side of the square?

5.     What if I began with other polygons like pentagons or hexagons?

6.     What it my triangles, squares, etc. did not have the same number of circles on each side?

7.     Could I find solutions that involve other whole numbers? Fractions? Negative numbers?

8.     What if I changed the problem to making the product of each side the same?

9.     Is there a formula for the minimum (maximum) sum based on the number of circles on each side of the triangle?

10.  Is there a formula like this that also takes account of the number of sides on the shape?

See Triangle Sums if you would like a more structured version of the problem or if you would like to see some solutions and suggestions for conversation.