Spherical geometry and the least symmetric triangle (Q1737568): Difference between revisions

Using a clever choice of coordinates, the authors are able to use the unit sphere $S^2\subset\mathbb{R}^3$ to parametrize the space of plane triangles up to similarity. In this parametrization, isosceles triangles and degenerate triangles correspond to specific great circles; thus the ``least symmetric triangle'' can be defined as a triangle represented by a point of $S^2$ farthest away (in the spherical distance) from the great circles representing isosceles and degenerate triangles. Using this definition, the authors show that the least symmetric triangle is the triangle with sides in the ratios $1:3-\frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}:3$. \par The authors also find the least symmetric most obtuse/acute triangle, defined as an obtuse/acute triangle represented by a point farthest away from the locus of isosceles, degenerate and right triangles. Since the locus of right triangles is not a great circle but it is given by a quartic equation, the computations are much more involved and completed only by using mathematical software. \par The authors also remark that their approach can in principle be used to determine the least symmetric $n$-gon with $n\ge 4$, replacing their parametrization by a parametrization introduced by \textit{J.-C. Hausmann} and \textit{A. Knutson} [Enseign. Math. (2) 43, No. 1--2, 173--198 (1997; Zbl 0888.58007)] defined using the Grassmannian $G_2(\mathbb{R}^n)$ instead of $S^2$, and notice that this can have applications in chemistry.