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PROPOSITION 15. PROBLEM.

To inscribe a regular hexagon in a given circle.

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Let ABDF be the given circle.

It is required to inscribe a regular hexagon in the O ABDF. Construction. Find G the centre of the

and draw a diameter AGD.

ABDF; III. 1.

With centre D, and radius DG, describe the © EGCH. Join CG, EG, and produce them to cut the Oe of the given circle at F and B.

Join AB, BC, CD, DE, EF, FA.

Then ABCDEF shall be the required regular hexagon.

Proof.

Now GE = GD, being radii of the ACE;
and DG = DE, being radii of the

=

EHC:

.. GE, ED, DG are all equal, and the ▲ EGD is equilateral. Hence the EGD = one-third of two rt. angles. I. 32. Similarly the DGC = one-third of two rt. angles. But the EGD, DGC, CGB together two rt. angles; I. 13. the remaining CGB = one-third of two rt. angles. the three EGD, DGC, CGB are equal to one another. And to these angles the vert. opp. 4 BGA, AGF, FGE are respectively equal:

the EGD, DGC, CGB, BGA, AGF, FGE are all equal ; the arcs ED, DC, CB, BA, AF, FE are all equal: III. 26. .. the chords ED, DC, CB, BA, AF, FE are all equal: III. 29. .. the hexagon is equilateral. Again the arc FA= the arc DE:

to each of these equals add the arc ABCD;
then the arc FABCD = the arc ABCDE:

Proved.

hence the angles at the Oce which stand on these equal arcs are equal.

that is, the FED = the ▲ AFE.

III, 27.

In like manner the remaining angles of the hexagon

may be shewn to be equal.

the hexagon is equiangular;

.. the hexagon ABCDEF is regular, and it is inscribed in the O ABDF.

Q.E.F.

COROLLARY. The side of a regular hexagon inscribed in a circle is equal to the radius of the circle.

SUMMARY OF THE PROPOSITIONS OF BOOK IV.

The following summary will assist the student in remembering the sequence of the Propositions of Book IV.

(i) Of the sixteen Propositions of this Book, Props. 1, 10, 15, 16 deal with isolated constructions.

(ii) The remaining twelve Propositions may be divided into three groups of four each, as follows:

(a) Group 1.

(b) Group 2.

(c) Group 3.
circles.

Props. 2, 3, 4, 5 deal with triangles and circles.
Props. 6, 7, 8, 9 deal with squares and circles.
Props. 11, 12, 13, 14 deal with pentagons and

(iii) In each group the problem of inscription precedes the corresponding problem of circumscription.

Further, each group deals with the inscription and circumscription of rectilineal figures first and of circles afterwards.

PROPOSITION 16. PROBLEM.

To inscribe a regular quindecagon in a given circle.

E

Let ABCD be the given circle.

It is required to inscribe a regular quindecagon in the C ABCD.

Construction.

In the ABCD inscribe an equilateral triangle, IV. 2. and let AC be one of its sides.

In the same circle inscribe a regular pentagon,

Proof.

and let AB be one of its sides.

се

IV. 11.

Now of such equal parts as the whole Oce contains fifteen, the arc AC, which is one-third of the Oce, contains five, and the arc AB, which is one-fifth of the Oce, contains three; .. their difference, the arc BC, contains two.

Bisect the arc BC at E:

III. 30. then each of the arcs BE, EC is one-fifteenth of the Oo.

if BE, EC be joined, and st. lines equal to them be placed successively round the circle, a regular quindecagon will be inscribed in it.

Q.E.F.

EXERCISES ON PROPOSITIONS 11-16..

1. Express in terms of a right angle the magnitude of an angle of the following regular polygons :

(i) a pentagon, (ii) a hexagon, (iii) an octagon,

(iv) a decagon, (v) a quindecagon.

2. Any angle of a regular pentagon is trisected by the straight lines which join it to the opposite vertices.

3. In a polygon of n sides the straight lines which join any angular point to the vertices not adjacent to it, divide the angle into n-2 equal parts.

4. Shew how to construct on a given straight line

(i) a regular pentagon, (ii) a regular hexagon, (iii) a regular octagon. 5. An equilateral triangle and a regular hexagon are inscribed in a given circle; shew that

(i) the area of the triangle is half that of the hexagon;

(ii) the square on the side of the triangle is three times the square on the side of the hexagon.

6. ABCDE is a regular pentagon, and AC, BE intersect at H: shew that

(i) AB=CH=EH.

(ii) AB is a tangent to the circle circumscribed about the triangle BHC.

(iii) AC and BE cut one another in medial section.

7. The straight lines which join alternate vertices of a regular pentagon intersect so as to form another regular pentagon.

8. The straight lines which join alternate vertices of a regular polygon of n sides, intersect so as to form another regular polygon of n sides.

If n=6, shew that the area of the resulting hexagon is one-third of the given hexagon.

9. By means of IV. 16, inscribe in a circle a triangle whose angles are as the numbers 2, 5, 8.

10. Shew that the area of a regular hexagon inscribed in a circle is three-fourths of that of the corresponding circumscribed hexagon.

NOTE ON REGULAR POLYGONS.

The following propositions, proved by Euclid for a regular pentagon, hold good for all regular polygons.

1. The bisectors of the angles of any regular polygon are con

current.

Let D, E, A, B, C be consecutive angular points of a regular polygon of any number of sides.

Bisect the EAB, ABC by AO, BO, which intersect at O.

Because

Join EO.

D

It is required to prove that EO bisects the L DEA.
For in the As EAO, BAO,

EA BA, being sides of a regular polygon;

and AO is common;

and the EAO the L BAO;

the

OEA = the LOBA.

But the

OBA is half the L ABC;

Constr.

I. 4.

Constr.

also the ABC the 4 DEA, since the polygon is regular;

.. the OEA is half the L DEA:

that is, EO bisects the DEA.

Similarly if O be joined to the remaining angular points of the polygon, it may be proved that each joining line bisects the angle to whose vertex it is drawn.

That is to say, the bisectors of the angles of the polygon meet at the point O.

COROLLARIES.

Since the EAB= the L ABC;

Q.E.D.

Hyp.

and since the OAB, OBA are respectively half of the L EAB, ABC; .. the OAB the LOBA;

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Hence the bisectors of the angles of a regular polygon are all equal. Therefore a circle described with centre O, and radius OA, will be circumscribed about the polygon.

Also it may be shewn, as in Proposition 13, that perpendiculars drawn from O to the sides of the polygon are all equal.

Therefore a circle described with centre O, and any one of these perpendiculars as radius, will be inscribed in the polygon.

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