Euclid's Muse

your source for INTERACTIVE math apps


Fermat Toricelli Geometric Proof

Profile picture of Phil Todd

Phil Todd

@polymnia

Uploaded

We use rotations to construct a path equal in length to the sum of the distances AE+BE+CE, whose end points are fixed.  Minimum for AE+BE+CE occurs when this path is a straight line.

So long as no angles of the original triangle are greater than 120 degrees, this works.  What goes wrong when an angle does exceed 120 degrees?

Tags: mechanics, fermat
thumb Open Fullscreen
Download App Link Embed
px
Paste this code into your webpage as html:

« Least Square Linear Regression Ellipse Reflection »

© Saltire Software Terms and Conditions