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ERIC Number: EJ769605
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006
Pages: 7
Abstractor: ERIC
Reference Count: 6
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0730-8639
On the Circle of Apollonius
Ayoub, Ayoub B.
Mathematics and Computer Education, v40 n3 p198-204 Fall 2006
The circle discussed in this paper is named after "The Great Geometer of Antiquity", that is Apollonius of Perga (ca. 262-190 BCE). Among his many contributions to geometry is a book with the title "Plane Loci." This book included, among others, a problem about the locus of a point moving in a plane such that the ratio of its distances from two fixed points is a positive constant different from one. It turned out that the locus is a circle now known as "Circle of Apollonius". The proof of this result is based on the following theorems: (1) The angle bisectors of a triangle; (2) Thales' theorem of the angle inscribed in a semicircle; and (3) The proportion resulting from a line drawn parallel to a side of a triangle. In fact, the proof connects these theorems in a nice way, and provides a refreshing idea about circles. The students can use Circle of Apollonius to tackle interesting, sometimes challenging, problems. (Contains 8 figures.)
MATYC Journal Inc. Mathematics and Computer Education, P.O. Box 158, Old Bethpage, NY 11804. Tel: 516-822-5475; Web site: http://www.macejournal.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers: N/A