Category:Problem of Apollonius

This category contains pages concerning Problem of Apollonius:

Classic Problem

Let three points, straight lines or circles, or any combination of $3$ such objects.

The problem is to construct a circle which passes through the points, or is tangent to the straight lines or circles.

Points

Let there be three points in the plane which are not collinear.

It is required to draw a circle passing through each of the three points.

Straight Lines

Let there be three straight lines in the plane which are not parallel.

It is required to draw a circle tangent to each of the three straight lines.

Circles

Let there be three circles in the plane.

It is required to draw another circle tangent to each of the three.

Source of Name

This entry was named for Apollonius of Perga.

Historical Note

The Problem of Apollonius was originally posed, and apparently solved, by Apollonius of Perga in his work Tangencies.

The cases of $3$ points and $3$ straight lines were given by Euclid in his Elements: Book $\text {IV}$.

The case of the $3$ circles was interesting enough to attract the attention of a number of mathematicians of the $17$th century, including Isaac Newton and François Viète.

It was supposedly solved by Elisabeth of the Palatinate during the course of a series of mathematical discussions with René Descartes sometime around or after $1641$.

While this in itself is a remarkable feat, the fact that she achieved it using Descartes' own methods makes it more impressive, as these are not the easiest tools to use to attack the problem.

However, Descartes appears to have been unfairly and cruelly dismissive of her achievement

Sources

• 1992: George F. Simmons: Calculus Gems ... (previous) ... (next): Chapter $\text {A}.6$: Apollonius (ca. $\text {262}$ – $\text {190}$ B.C.)
• 1998: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Problem of Apollonius
• 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): problem of Apollonius