Math 237 Fall,
2008.
Ruler and compass constructions
Some links to websites that discuss ruler and compass constructions.
- Compass
and straightedge Wikipedia article describing what can and cannot
be done with ruler and compass. Includes animated illustrations of
the construction of a regular pentagon and hexagon, and the explicit
formula for the cosine of the angle needed to construct the
heptadecagon (17-sided polygon) in terms of square roots. Has links to
many other related articles including ones about trisecting an angle,
doubling the cube and squaring the circle.
- GRACE - Graphical
Ruler and Compass Editor A Java applet for doing ruler and compass
onscreen.
- Ruler and
Compass Constructions A description of the most elementary ruler
and compass constructions.
- Angle
trisection from Geometry Forum Liesurely discussion of the angle
trisection problem including Archimedes' method (with a marked ruler) and the
the Quadratrix of Hippias.
- Angle
trisection from MathWorld A similar discussion with more technical
details.
- Archimedes'
Trisection An interactive graphic demonstration of Archimedes'
method of trisection.
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