Discovering the Jelly Bean Constant

[nbs2]

So the question is this (clearly inspired by a contest here at work) - is there a constant, generally applicable, that can be multiplied by the volume of a given container, to discover the number of jelly beans in that container.

Clearly packing inefficiencies would make an exact number impossible, but it is possible to find one that is generally applicable (say plus/minus .5%)?

 

[princealfie]

Solid spherical or ellipsoid shapes never have a packing density higher than 75%. It's 74% for spheres, 75% for ellipsoids (plus some change in each case)

Random packing is usually around 65%.

 

[Blue Velvet]

About 80% according to here...
How many jelly beans fill a one-liter jar?

 

[nbs2]

About 80% according to here...
How many jelly beans fill a one-liter jar?

I saw that site earlier - it just seemed like they picked a number that "sounded right." It seems like an experiment that is just begging to be done. That should take care of my daughter's science fair experiments for at least a couple of year.