In a cyclobutane molecule, which conformation is expected to exhibit the least torsional strain?

In cyclobutane the ring is slightly puckered, but the key difference in torsional strain comes from how the hydrogen atoms on adjacent carbons are oriented. A staggered arrangement, where each hydrogen is positioned opposite the hydrogen on the neighboring carbon, avoids the eclipsing interactions that create torsional strain. In contrast, an eclipsed arrangement has the hydrogens directly on top of one another, producing a large amount of torsional strain. Therefore, the staggered conformation is expected to exhibit the least torsional strain. For example, in 1,2-dimethylcyclobutane, the staggered conformation lowers the energy relative to the eclipsed one.