PentadecagonIn geometry, a pentadecagon or pentakaidecagon or 15-gon is a fifteen-sided polygon. A regular pentadecagon is represented by Schläfli symbol {15}. A regular pentadecagon has interior angles of 156°, and with a side length a, has an area given by As 15 = 3 × 5, a product of distinct Fermat primes, a regular pentadecagon is constructible using compass and straightedge: The following constructions of regular pentadecagons with given circumcircle are similar to the illustration of the proposition XVI in Book IV of Euclid's Elements.
Tomahawk (geometry)The tomahawk is a tool in geometry for angle trisection, the problem of splitting an angle into three equal parts. The boundaries of its shape include a semicircle and two line segments, arranged in a way that resembles a tomahawk, a Native American axe. The same tool has also been called the shoemaker's knife, but that name is more commonly used in geometry to refer to a different shape, the arbelos (a curvilinear triangle bounded by three mutually tangent semicircles).
Mathematics of paper foldingThe discipline of origami or paper folding has received a considerable amount of mathematical study. Fields of interest include a given paper model's flat-foldability (whether the model can be flattened without damaging it), and the use of paper folds to solve up-to cubic mathematical equations. Computational origami is a recent branch of computer science that is concerned with studying algorithms that solve paper-folding problems.
QuadratrixIn geometry, a quadratrix () is a curve having ordinates which are a measure of the area (or quadrature) of another curve. The two most famous curves of this class are those of Dinostratus and E. W. Tschirnhaus, which are both related to the circle. Quadratrix of Hippias The quadratrix of Dinostratus (also called the quadratrix of Hippias) was well known to the ancient Greek geometers, and is mentioned by Proclus, who ascribes the invention of the curve to a contemporary of Socrates, probably Hippias of Elis.
Constructible polygonIn mathematics, a constructible polygon is a regular polygon that can be constructed with compass and straightedge. For example, a regular pentagon is constructible with compass and straightedge while a regular heptagon is not. There are infinitely many constructible polygons, but only 31 with an odd number of sides are known. Some regular polygons are easy to construct with compass and straightedge; others are not.
TetradecagonIn geometry, a tetradecagon or tetrakaidecagon or 14-gon is a fourteen-sided polygon. A regular tetradecagon has Schläfli symbol {14} and can be constructed as a quasiregular truncated heptagon, t{7}, which alternates two types of edges. The area of a regular tetradecagon of side length a is given by As 14 = 2 × 7, a regular tetradecagon cannot be constructed using a compass and straightedge. However, it is constructible using neusis with use of the angle trisector, or with a marked ruler, as shown in the following two examples.
TridecagonIn geometry, a tridecagon or triskaidecagon or 13-gon is a thirteen-sided polygon. A regular tridecagon is represented by Schläfli symbol {13}. The measure of each internal angle of a regular tridecagon is approximately 152.308 degrees, and the area with side length a is given by As 13 is a Pierpont prime but not a Fermat prime, the regular tridecagon cannot be constructed using a compass and straightedge. However, it is constructible using neusis, or an angle trisector.
OctadecagonIn geometry, an octadecagon (or octakaidecagon) or 18-gon is an eighteen-sided polygon. A regular octadecagon has a Schläfli symbol {18} and can be constructed as a quasiregular truncated enneagon, t{9}, which alternates two types of edges. As 18 = 2 × 32, a regular octadecagon cannot be constructed using a compass and straightedge. However, it is constructible using neusis, or an angle trisection with a tomahawk. The following approximate construction is very similar to that of the enneagon, as an octadecagon can be constructed as a truncated enneagon.
HeptagonIn geometry, a heptagon or septagon is a seven-sided polygon or 7-gon. The heptagon is sometimes referred to as the septagon, using "sept-" (an elision of septua-, a Latin-derived numerical prefix, rather than hepta-, a Greek-derived numerical prefix; both are cognate) together with the Greek suffix "-agon" meaning angle. A regular heptagon, in which all sides and all angles are equal, has internal angles of 5π/7 radians (128 degrees). Its Schläfli symbol is {7}.
Squaring the circleSquaring the circle is a problem in geometry first proposed in Greek mathematics. It is the challenge of constructing a square with the area of a circle by using only a finite number of steps with a compass and straightedge. The difficulty of the problem raised the question of whether specified axioms of Euclidean geometry concerning the existence of lines and circles implied the existence of such a square. In 1882, the task was proven to be impossible, as a consequence of the Lindemann–Weierstrass theorem, which proves that pi () is a transcendental number.
Angle trisectionAngle trisection is a classical problem of straightedge and compass construction of ancient Greek mathematics. It concerns construction of an angle equal to one third of a given arbitrary angle, using only two tools: an unmarked straightedge and a compass. In 1837, Pierre Wantzel proved that the problem, as stated, is impossible to solve for arbitrary angles. However, some special angles can be trisected: for example, it is trivial to trisect a right angle (that is, to construct an angle of 30 degrees).
Doubling the cubeDoubling the cube, also known as the Delian problem, is an ancient geometric problem. Given the edge of a cube, the problem requires the construction of the edge of a second cube whose volume is double that of the first. As with the related problems of squaring the circle and trisecting the angle, doubling the cube is now known to be impossible to construct by using only a compass and straightedge, but even in ancient times solutions were known that employed other tools.
PentagonIn geometry, a pentagon (from the Greek πέντε pente meaning five and γωνία gonia meaning angle) is any five-sided polygon or 5-gon. The sum of the internal angles in a simple pentagon is 540°. A pentagon may be simple or self-intersecting. A self-intersecting regular pentagon (or star pentagon) is called a pentagram. A regular pentagon has Schläfli symbol {5} and interior angles of 108°. A regular pentagon has five lines of reflectional symmetry, and rotational symmetry of order 5 (through 72°, 144°, 216° and 288°).
Pierpont primeIn number theory, a Pierpont prime is a prime number of the form for some nonnegative integers u and v. That is, they are the prime numbers p for which p − 1 is 3-smooth. They are named after the mathematician James Pierpont, who used them to characterize the regular polygons that can be constructed using conic sections. The same characterization applies to polygons that can be constructed using ruler, compass, and angle trisector, or using paper folding. Except for 2 and the Fermat primes, every Pierpont prime must be 1 modulo 6.
DodecagonIn geometry, a dodecagon, or 12-gon, is any twelve-sided polygon. A regular dodecagon is a figure with sides of the same length and internal angles of the same size. It has twelve lines of reflective symmetry and rotational symmetry of order 12. A regular dodecagon is represented by the Schläfli symbol {12} and can be constructed as a truncated hexagon, t{6}, or a twice-truncated triangle, tt{3}. The internal angle at each vertex of a regular dodecagon is 150°.
Straightedge and compass constructionIn geometry, straightedge-and-compass construction – also known as ruler-and-compass construction, Euclidean construction, or classical construction – is the construction of lengths, angles, and other geometric figures using only an idealized ruler and a pair of compasses. The idealized ruler, known as a straightedge, is assumed to be infinite in length, have only one edge, and no markings on it. The compass is assumed to have no maximum or minimum radius, and is assumed to "collapse" when lifted from the page, so may not be directly used to transfer distances.
HeptadecagonIn geometry, a heptadecagon, septadecagon or 17-gon is a seventeen-sided polygon. A regular heptadecagon is represented by the Schläfli symbol {17}. As 17 is a Fermat prime, the regular heptadecagon is a constructible polygon (that is, one that can be constructed using a compass and unmarked straightedge): this was shown by Carl Friedrich Gauss in 1796 at the age of 19. This proof represented the first progress in regular polygon construction in over 2000 years.
Pappus of AlexandriaPappus of Alexandria (ˈpæpəs; Πάππος ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς; 290- 350 AD) was one of the last great Greek mathematicians of antiquity; he is known for his Synagoge (Συναγωγή) or Collection ( 340), and for Pappus's hexagon theorem in projective geometry. Nothing is known of his life, other than what can be found in his own writings: that he had a son named Hermodorus, and was a teacher in Alexandria. Collection, his best-known work, is a compendium of mathematics in eight volumes, the bulk of which survives.
Constructible numberIn geometry and algebra, a real number is constructible if and only if, given a line segment of unit length, a line segment of length can be constructed with compass and straightedge in a finite number of steps. Equivalently, is constructible if and only if there is a closed-form expression for using only integers and the operations for addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and square roots. The geometric definition of constructible numbers motivates a corresponding definition of constructible points, which can again be described either geometrically or algebraically.
DecagonIn geometry, a decagon (from the Greek δέκα déka and γωνία gonía, "ten angles") is a ten-sided polygon or 10-gon. The total sum of the interior angles of a simple decagon is 1440°. A regular decagon has all sides of equal length and each internal angle will always be equal to 144°. Its Schläfli symbol is {10} and can also be constructed as a truncated pentagon, t{5}, a quasiregular decagon alternating two types of edges. The picture shows a regular decagon with side length and radius of the circumscribed circle.
