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Extending Euclidean Constructions with Dynamic Geometry Software
Proceedings of the 20th Asian Technology Conference in Mathematics (Leshan, China, 2015) Extending Euclidean constructions with dynamic geometry software Alasdair McAndrew [email protected] College of Engineering and Science Victoria University PO Box 18821, Melbourne 8001 Australia Abstract In order to solve cubic equations by Euclidean means, the standard ruler and compass construction tools are insufficient, as was demonstrated by Pierre Wantzel in the 19th century. However, the ancient Greek mathematicians also used another construction method, the neusis, which was a straightedge with two marked points. We show in this article how a neusis construction can be implemented using dynamic geometry software, and give some examples of its use. 1 Introduction Standard Euclidean geometry, as codified by Euclid, permits of two constructions: drawing a straight line between two given points, and constructing a circle with center at one given point, and passing through another. It can be shown that the set of points constructible by these methods form the quadratic closure of the rationals: that is, the set of all points obtainable by any finite sequence of arithmetic operations and the taking of square roots. With the rise of Galois theory, and of field theory generally in the 19th century, it is now known that irreducible cubic equations cannot be solved by these Euclidean methods: so that the \doubling of the cube", and the \trisection of the angle" problems would need further constructions. Doubling the cube requires us to be able to solve the equation x3 − 2 = 0 and trisecting the angle, if it were possible, would enable us to trisect 60◦ (which is con- structible), to obtain 20◦. -
ANCIENT PROBLEMS VS. MODERN TECHNOLOGY 1. Geometric Constructions Some Problems, Such As the Search for a Construction That Woul
ANCIENT PROBLEMS VS. MODERN TECHNOLOGY SˇARKA´ GERGELITSOVA´ AND TOMA´ Sˇ HOLAN Abstract. Geometric constructions using a ruler and a compass have been known for more than two thousand years. It has also been known for a long time that some problems cannot be solved using the ruler-and-compass method (squaring the circle, angle trisection); on the other hand, there are other prob- lems that are yet to be solved. Nowadays, the focus of researchers’ interest is different: the search for new geometric constructions has shifted to the field of recreational mathematics. In this article, we present the solutions of several construction problems which were discovered with the help of a computer. The aim of this article is to point out that computer availability and perfor- mance have increased to such an extent that, today, anyone can solve problems that have remained unsolved for centuries. 1. Geometric constructions Some problems, such as the search for a construction that would divide a given angle into three equal parts, the construction of a square having an area equal to the area of the given circle or doubling the cube, troubled mathematicians already hundreds and thousands of years ago. Today, we not only know that these problems have never been solved, but we are even able to prove that such constructions cannot exist at all [8], [10]. On the other hand, there is, for example, the problem of finding the center of a given circle with a compass alone. This is a problem that was admired by Napoleon Bonaparte [11] and one of the problems that we are able to solve today (Mascheroni found the answer long ago [9]). -
Construction of Regular Polygons a Constructible Regular Polygon Is One That Can Be Constructed with Compass and (Unmarked) Straightedge
DynamicsOfPolygons.org Construction of regular polygons A constructible regular polygon is one that can be constructed with compass and (unmarked) straightedge. For example the construction on the right below consists of two circles of equal radii. The center of the second circle at B is chosen to lie anywhere on the first circle, so the triangle ABC is equilateral – and hence equiangular. Compass and straightedge constructions date back to Euclid of Alexandria who was born in about 300 B.C. The Greeks developed methods for constructing the regular triangle, square and pentagon, but these were the only „prime‟ regular polygons that they could construct. They also knew how to double the sides of a given polygon or combine two polygons together – as long as the sides were relatively prime, so a regular pentagon could be drawn together with a regular triangle to get a regular 15-gon. Therefore the polygons they could construct were of the form N = 2m3k5j where m is a nonnegative integer and j and k are either 0 or 1. The constructible regular polygons were 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, 16, 20, 24, 30, 32, 40, 48, ... but the only odd polygons in this list are 3,5 and 15. The triangle, pentagon and 15-gon are the only regular polygons with odd sides which the Greeks could construct. If n = p1p2 …pk where the pi are odd primes then n is constructible iff each pi is constructible, so a regular 21-gon can be constructed iff both the triangle and regular 7-gon can be constructed. -
Trisect Angle
HOW TO TRISECT AN ANGLE (Using P-Geometry) (DRAFT: Liable to change) Aaron Sloman School of Computer Science, University of Birmingham (Philosopher in a Computer Science department) NOTE Added 30 Jan 2020 Remarks on angle-trisection without the neusis construction can be found in Freksa et al. (2019) NOTE Added 1 Mar 2015 The discussion of alternative geometries here contrasts with the discussion of the nature of descriptive metaphysics in "Meta-Descriptive Metaphysics: Extending P.F. Strawson’s ’Descriptive Metaphysics’" http://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/research/projects/cogaff/misc/meta-descriptive-metaphysics.html This document makes connections with the discussion of perception of affordances of various kinds, generalising Gibson’s ideas, in http://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/research/projects/cogaff/talks/#gibson Talk 93: What’s vision for, and how does it work? From Marr (and earlier) to Gibson and Beyond Some of the ideas are related to perception of impossible objects. http://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/research/projects/cogaff/misc/impossible.html JUMP TO CONTENTS Installed: 26 Feb 2015 Last updated: A very nice geogebra applet demonstrates the method described below: http://www.cut-the-knot.org/pythagoras/archi.shtml. Feb 2017: Added note about my 1962 DPhil thesis 25 Apr 2016: Fixed typo: ODB had been mistyped as ODE (Thanks to Michael Fourman) 29 Oct 2015: Added reference to discussion of perception of impossible objects. 4 Oct 2015: Added reference to article by O’Connor and Robertson. 25 Mar 2015: added (low quality) ’movie’ gif showing arrow rotating. 2 Mar 2015 Formatting problem fixed. 1 Mar 2015 Added draft Table of Contents. -
Trisecting an Angle and Doubling the Cube Using Origami Method
広 島 経 済 大 学 研 究 論 集 第38巻第 4 号 2016年 3 月 Note Trisecting an Angle and Doubling the Cube Using Origami Method Kenji Hiraoka* and Laura Kokot** meaning to fold, and kami meaning paper, refers 1. Introduction to the traditional art of making various attractive Laura Kokot, one of the authors, Mathematics and decorative figures using only one piece of and Computer Science teacher in the High school square sheet of paper. This art is very popular, of Mate Blažine Labin, Croatia came to Nagasaki, not only in Japan, but also in other countries all Japan in October 2014, for the teacher training over the world and everyone knows about the program at the Nagasaki University as a MEXT paper crane which became the international (Ministry of education, culture, sports, science symbol of peace. Origami as a form is continu- and technology) scholar. Her training program ously evolving and nowadays a lot of other was conducted at the Faculty of Education, possibilities and benefits of origami are being Nagasaki University in the field of Mathematics recognized. For example in education and other. Education under Professor Hiraoka Kenji. The goal of this paper is to research and For every teacher it is important that pupils learn more about geometric constructions by in his class understand and learn the material as using origami method and its properties as an easily as possible and he will try to find the best alternative approach to learning and teaching pedagogical approaches in his teaching. It is not high school geometry. -
ASIA-EUROPE CLASSROOM NETWORK (AEC-NET) Title: “Famous Mathematicians in Greece”
ASIA-EUROPE CLASSROOM NETWORK (AEC-NET) Title: “Famous Mathematicians in Greece” Participant students: Barbakou C., Dikaiakos X., Karali C., Karanikolas N., Katsouli J., Kefalas G., Mixailidis M., Xifaras N. Teacher coordinator: Efstathiou M. S. Avgoulea – Linardatou High school Some information about our School Our school was first established by Ms Stavroula Avgoulea-Linardatou in 1949, when she was still only 23, indeed at the end of an overwhelming and annihilating decade for Greece. Her vision was to create a school which would utilize novel and innovative teaching ways in order to promote the students’ learning and Nowadays, after over 60 years, our school has creative skills while at the same time become an educational organisation which covers all boost their self-esteem and education stages from nursery school to upper- confidence, thus leading towards the secondary school, with about 1.400 students and effortless acquisition of knowledge 260 employees. Since 1991 Mr. George Linardatos, and the building of a complete and the son of the school’s founder, has taken over the sound personality. management of the school, which, besides being a source of knowledge, also promotes cultural sensitisation and educational innovation. A. PROJECT DESCRIPTION/ SUMMARY We investigate, within Greece, what famous mathematicians there are and we describe their contribution to Mathematics. This power point will be further developed by students investigating mathematicians in another country, not participating in the project. The project will be finished off with a chat, where we take part in international teams and answer a quiz, by using G-mail and its chattforum. B. INTRODUCTION The ancient Greeks were very interested in scientific thought. -
Quadratrix of Hippias -- from Wolfram Mathworld
12/3/13 Quadratrix of Hippias -- from Wolfram MathWorld Search MathWorld Algebra Applied Mathematics Geometry > Curves > Plane Curves > Polar Curves > Geometry > Geometric Construction > Calculus and Analysis Interactive Entries > Interactive Demonstrations > Discrete Mathematics THINGS TO TRY: Quadratrix of Hippias quadratrix of hippias Foundations of Mathematics 12-w heel graph Geometry d^4/dt^4(Ai(t)) History and Terminology Number Theory Probability and Statistics Recreational Mathematics Hippias Quadratrix Bruno Autin Topology Alphabetical Index Interactive Entries Random Entry New in MathWorld MathWorld Classroom About MathWorld The quadratrix was discovered by Hippias of Elias in 430 BC, and later studied by Dinostratus in 350 BC (MacTutor Contribute to MathWorld Archive). It can be used for angle trisection or, more generally, division of an angle into any integral number of equal Send a Message to the Team parts, and circle squaring. It has polar equation MathWorld Book (1) Wolfram Web Resources » 13,191 entries with corresponding parametric equation Last updated: Wed Nov 6 2013 (2) Created, developed, and nurtured by Eric Weisstein at Wolfram Research (3) and Cartesian equation (4) Using the parametric representation, the curvature and tangential angle are given by (5) (6) for . SEE ALSO: Angle trisection, Cochleoid REFERENCES: Beyer, W. H. CRC Standard Mathematical Tables, 28th ed. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, p. 223, 1987. Law rence, J. D. A Catalog of Special Plane Curves. New York: Dover, pp. 195 and 198, 1972. Loomis, E. S. "The Quadratrix." §2.1 in The Pythagorean Proposition: Its Demonstrations Analyzed and Classified and Bibliography of Sources for Data of the Four Kinds of "Proofs," 2nd ed. -
Mathematical Theory of Big Game Hunting
DOCUMEWT RESUME ED 121 522 SE 020 770 AUTHOR Schaaf, Willie' L. TITLE A Bibliography of Recreational Mathematics, Volume 1. Fourth, Edition. INSTITUTION National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Inc., Reston, Va. PUB DATE 70 NOTE 160p.; For related documents see Ed 040 874 and ED 087 631 AVAILABLE FROMNational Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Inc., 1906 Association Drive, Reston, Virginia 22091 EDRS PRICE MP-$0.83 Plus Postage. HC Not Available from EDRS. DESCRIPTORS *Annotated Bibliographies; *Games; Geometric Concepts; History; *Literature Guides; *Mathematical Enrichment; Mathematics; *Mathematics Education; Number Concepts; Reference Books ABSTRACT This book is a partially annotated bibliography of books, articles, and periodicals concerned with mathematical games, puzzles, and amusements. It is a reprinting of Volume 1 of a three-volume series. This volume, originally published in 1955, treats problems and recreations which have been important in the history of mathematics as well as some of more modern invention. The book is intended for use by both professional and amateur mathematicians. Works on recreational mathematics are listed in eight broad categories: general works, arithmetic and algebraic recreations, geometric recreations, assorted recreations, magic squares, the Pythagorean relationship, famous problems of antiquity, and aathematical 'miscellanies. (SD) *********************************************************************** Documents acquired by ERIC include many informal unpublished * materials not available from other sources. ERIC sakes every effort * * to obtain the best copy available. Nevertheless, items of marginal * * reproducibility are often encountered and this affects the quality* * of the microfiche and hardcopy reproductions ERIC aakes available * * via the ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDRS). EDRS is not * responsible for the quality of the original document. -
A New Method of Trisection Archimedes' Method
A New Method of Trisection David Alan Brooks David Alan Brooks was born in South Africa, where he qualified as an Air Force pilot before gaining a BA degree in classics and law, followed by an honors degree with a dissertation on ancient technology. To his regret, despite credits in sundry subjects, he has none in mathematics. After completing a second post- graduate honors degree in business administration and personnel management, he served as the deputy director of a training centre before becoming a full-time inventor. He has been granted numerous international patents. After having lived for six years on a boat, he now lives in an old chapel on a Welsh island. Thanks largely to a share of the royalties earned from two automatic poolcleaners manufactured in California, he is able to spend his days dreaming up additional geometry-intensive configurations of his revolutionary concept for efficient ultra-high-speed rotary “PHASE” engines, writing definitions for the all-limerick web dictionary OEDILF, and feeding ducks on a sacred lake once revered by Druids—also keen geometers (and perhaps frustrated trisectors) until they were crushed by the Romans in 60 AD. He won wings as a proud Air Force flyer, And strove, by degrees, to climb higher. Reduced to a tent, Then a boat (to invent), He concluded that chapels are drier. I do not, Archimedes, know why You put marks on your ruler. Sir, I Know that trisection tricks Give a trisector kicks, But why fudge when it’s easy as pi? One of the most interesting episodes in the long saga of angle trisection (see Dudley [1]) was a discovery made by Archimedes of Syracuse nearly 2300 years ago. -
The Angle Trisection Solution (A Compass-Straightedge (Ruler) Construction) Kimuya .M
I S S N 2 3 4 7 - 1921 Volume 13 Number 4 Journal of Advance in Mathematics The Angle Trisection Solution (A Compass-Straightedge (Ruler) Construction) Kimuya .M. Alex1, Josephine Mutembei2 1Meru University of Science and Technology, Kenya, Department of Physical Sciences, Faculty of Physics 2Meru University of Science and Technology, Kenya, Department of Mathematics 1Cell; +254 704600418 2Cell; +254 721567967 [email protected] [email protected] ABSTRACT This paper is devoted to exposition of a provable classical solution for the ancient Greek’s classical geometric problem of angle trisection [3]. (Pierre Laurent Wantzel, 1837), presented an algebraic proof based on ideas from Galois theory showing that, the angle trisection solution correspond to an implicit solution of the cubic equation; , which he stated as geometrically irreducible [23]. The primary objective of this novel work is to show the possibility to solve the ages old problem of trisecting an arbitrary angle using the traditional Greek’s tools of geometry (classical compass and straightedge), and refute the presented proof of angle trisection impossibility statement. The exposed proof of the solution is theorem , which is based on the classical rules of Euclidean geometry, contrary to the Archim edes proposition of using a marked straightedge construction [4], [11]. Key Words Angle trisection; An arbitrary angle; A particular angle; Compass; Ruler (Straightedge); Classical geometry; GeoGebra Software; Plane geometry; Subset; Superset; Singular angle Notations Notation for an angle Denotes a straight line segment and a length Two Dimensions Three Dimensions Four significant figures Denotes a member or an element of a particular set Subset Not a member or an element of a particular set divides Cosine of angle decimal places Academic Discipline And Sub-Disciplines Mathematics (Geometry) 1.0 INTRODUCTION Compass and straightedge problems have always been the favorite subject o f classical geometry. -
MYSTERIES of the EQUILATERAL TRIANGLE, First Published 2010
MYSTERIES OF THE EQUILATERAL TRIANGLE Brian J. McCartin Applied Mathematics Kettering University HIKARI LT D HIKARI LTD Hikari Ltd is a publisher of international scientific journals and books. www.m-hikari.com Brian J. McCartin, MYSTERIES OF THE EQUILATERAL TRIANGLE, First published 2010. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission of the publisher Hikari Ltd. ISBN 978-954-91999-5-6 Copyright c 2010 by Brian J. McCartin Typeset using LATEX. Mathematics Subject Classification: 00A08, 00A09, 00A69, 01A05, 01A70, 51M04, 97U40 Keywords: equilateral triangle, history of mathematics, mathematical bi- ography, recreational mathematics, mathematics competitions, applied math- ematics Published by Hikari Ltd Dedicated to our beloved Beta Katzenteufel for completing our equilateral triangle. Euclid and the Equilateral Triangle (Elements: Book I, Proposition 1) Preface v PREFACE Welcome to Mysteries of the Equilateral Triangle (MOTET), my collection of equilateral triangular arcana. While at first sight this might seem an id- iosyncratic choice of subject matter for such a detailed and elaborate study, a moment’s reflection reveals the worthiness of its selection. Human beings, “being as they be”, tend to take for granted some of their greatest discoveries (witness the wheel, fire, language, music,...). In Mathe- matics, the once flourishing topic of Triangle Geometry has turned fallow and fallen out of vogue (although Phil Davis offers us hope that it may be resusci- tated by The Computer [70]). A regrettable casualty of this general decline in prominence has been the Equilateral Triangle. Yet, the facts remain that Mathematics resides at the very core of human civilization, Geometry lies at the structural heart of Mathematics and the Equilateral Triangle provides one of the marble pillars of Geometry. -
Expanding the Problems Or Fruitful Results of Simple Questions in Mathematics
JOURNAL OF SCIENCE OF THE MILITARY ACADEMY OF LAND FORCES Volume 47 Number 1 (175) 2015 ISSN 1731-8157 DOI: 10.5604/17318157.1158550 EXPANDING THE PROBLEMS OR FRUITFUL RESULTS OF SIMPLE QUESTIONS IN MATHEMATICS Piotr PIETRASZKIEWICZ * The Faculty of Security Affairs, Gen. Tadeusz Kosciuszko Military Academy of Land Forces e-mail: [email protected] Received on 22 May 2014; accepted in revised in January 2015 Copyright © 2015 by Zeszyty Naukowe WSOWL Abstract: In this article, three famous, ancient geometric problems (angle trisection, squaring the cir- cle, and the Delian problem) are described as expanding mathematical problems, i.e., a transition from the problems already solved to new problems of a higher level. The author recalled centuries of work by mathematicians trying to solve the above men- tioned problems of geometry. It was emphasized that only the use of algebra in the nineteenth century made it possible to give (unfortunately negative) answer to the question about the feasibility of these geom- etry structures. The article highlights the need for putting simple questions (e.g. in the category of “expand- ing problems”). Asking such questions may lead to new, not always easy, but often inter- esting problems. Keywords: expanding problems, angle trisection, squaring the circle, the Delian problem INTRODUCTION Modern mass education of mathematics, both at a basic and at academic level often seems to be reduced to teaching the students, how to solve several types of rather easy problems and this in accordance to a few particular, predefined schemes to boot. Mean- while, the skill of proper ordering of the knowledge already gained (not only of mathe- matics!), the ability to sum up the results of the student’s own work and, afterwards, an attempt at answering the question: "Can I go even further; could I push myself even more?" is a vital component of the educational process.