OBJECTS THAT CANNOT BE TAKEN APART WITH 2 HANDS

It has been conjectured that every configuration C of convex objects i n 3-space with disjoint interiors can be taken apart by translation wi th two hands: that is, some proper subset of C can be translated to in finity without disturbing its complement. We show that the conjecture holds for five or fewer objects and give a counterexample with six obj ects. We extend the counterexample to a configuration that cannot be t aken apart with two hands using arbitrary isometries (rigid motions).