ABSTRACT
Components may be joined externally one to the other, in which case they are said to stack, or internally in such a way as to nest or, perhaps, to fit when they are identical. Packing in one dimension amounts to the task of selecting from a set of free components particular combinations which can be assembled to make up the length of the interval to be packed. If the set of permitted lengths is unrestrained within the real number system then packing accords with the everyday laws of arithmetic. Packing is far more complicated in two and three dimensions, yet this is an essential task of architectural design. Architects often draw vertical sections through their buildings to show their structure.
