> A spherical shape was chosen because a sphere has no edges that might get damaged and only one dimension has to be measured in order to calculate its volume.
Surely every dimension needs to be checked, to ensure that it's a perfect sphere? (Which I assume is harder than checking a cuboid has six flat sides joined at right angles)
If you build an apparatus for measuring a sphere's diameter, it's possible to measure it in any orientation. If their test mass were cylindrical, they'd need the ability to measure both the diameter and the length to the requisite precision. I believe it is in this sense that 'dimension' was used.
Surely every dimension needs to be checked, to ensure that it's a perfect sphere? (Which I assume is harder than checking a cuboid has six flat sides joined at right angles)