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The real answer is they aren't - they are sometimes round.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=rectangular+manhole+cover&t=brave&...

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=triangular+manhole+cover&t=brave&i...

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=hexagonal+manhole+cover&t=brave&ia...

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=oval+manhole+cover&t=brave&iar=ima...

And so on... Now a great - though a bit unfair - question would be to ask about circular ones, listen to the standard pitch, and then show these photos and ask - so what's going on here? Are all these people idiots?

A good software engineer knows there are rules, and there are reasons for the rules, and there are reasons why sometimes rules need to be different because the situation is different. If you just learn one single "right" answer, you'd end up trying to fit a round manhole cover into a triangular opening.




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