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Questions tagged [euclidean-geometry]

Euclidean geometry is a mathematical system attributed to the Alexandrian Greek mathematician Euclid, which he described in his textbook on geometry: the Elements. Euclid's method consists in assuming a small set of intuitively appealing axioms, and deducing many other propositions (theorems) from these.

16 votes
9 answers
4k views

Comprehensive reference for synthetic euclidean geometry

Euclidean geometry is a special case of the theory of Hilbert spaces; but in order to convince small children of basic facts, e.g. that the line segments from each of the vertices of a triangle to the ...
7 votes
5 answers
1k views

How to compute the average distance till intersection within a triangle in $\mathbb{R}^2$?

You are given 3 points in $\mathbb{R}^2$; $A$, $B$, $C$ forming a triangle with area > 0. You pick an arbitrary point inside $ABC$ and an arbitrary direction. After some distance $d$, you will ...
user2814's user avatar
  • 171
8 votes
8 answers
3k views

Side-Angle-Side Congruence and the Parallel Postulate

Is there a link between the side-angle-side congruence of triangles and the parallel postulate? Specifically, does it follow from Euclid's first four axioms alone? In fact, does it even follow from ...
Micah Blake McCurdy's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
445 views

Historical question re: ellipses obtained by certain geometrical constructions

I am a faculty member in the Forensic Science Program at PennState (UP). I am trying to obtain information of a historical nature concerning two closely related topics. I seek historical references ...
Ralph Ristenbatt's user avatar
14 votes
1 answer
3k views

spiral of Theodorus

A long time ago when I was in college I read about making a spiral out of right triangles with sides 1 and $\sqrt{N}$. (A google search seems to indicate that this is called the Spiral of Theodorus.) ...
Jason S's user avatar
  • 663
4 votes
1 answer
1k views

How to find the Fermat Point using the construction of the tangent to ellipse?

Be done the triangle ABC, it is known the method to finding the point Q that minimises the sum QA+QB+QC among all points Q in the plane (The Fermat point). I want a hint for solving this problem using ...
Vasile Moșoi's user avatar
90 votes
13 answers
143k views

If you break a stick at two points chosen uniformly, the probability the three resulting sticks form a triangle is 1/4. Is there a nice proof of this?

There is a standard problem in elementary probability that goes as follows. Consider a stick of length 1. Pick two points uniformly at random on the stick, and break the stick at those points. What ...
Michael Lugo's user avatar
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