Talk:Neusis construction
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This article is a translation from my contribution to the Dutch wikipedia. I may have translated wrongly two technical terms, viz.:
- guiding line (?) = directrix (?). In German this is called "Leitlinie";
- catch line (?). The German equivalent is "Fanglinie".
I will be grateful for any corrections! Hans van Deukeren
There are difficulties with this article
- It implies that Archimedes, when neusis was popular, was before Plato, when its popularity waned.
- It ignores the difference between pure and applied mathemetics.
- It therefore omits the clear reason Euclid confined himself to compass and straightedge: they are the only tools whose behavior was described in his axioms, and therefore the only ones about which he could prove anything. Septentrionalis 00:02, 1 April 2006 (UTC)