Problems of Buffon type for ``non-small'' needles (Q1284641)

In the classical Buffon problem, the probability is calculated that a needle of length \(L\), dropped at random onto a planar array of parallel lines with distance \(d>L\), meets one of the lines. This situation has been generalized by \textit{M. I. Stoka} [Atti Accad. Sci. Torino, Cl. Sci. fis. mat. natur. 110, 53-59 (1976; Zbl 0351.52005)], who replaced the grid of lines by a planar lattice, the fundamental cell \(F\) of which is either a parallelogram, an equilateral triangle or a regular hexagon. In all three cases, formulae for the intersection probability were given which required that the needle \(N\) is small enough compared with \(F\). Here `small enough' means that for each rotation \(\theta N\) of \(N\), the erosion \(F\ominus\theta N\) has the same number of sides as \(F\). The author calculates the intersection probability for each of the three lattices and for needles \(N\) which are not small, so that the condition on \(F\ominus \theta N\) is violated. The results are obtained by direct computation of the different cases which occur.