The problem of Malfatti: Two centuries of debate (Q536609): Difference between revisions

The paper under review succinctly provides a wealth of information of mathematical, historical, and pedagogical interest pertaining to what is known as Malfatti's (marble) problem. This problem, posed by Malfatti in 1803, asks for packing, inside a given triangle, three non-overlapping circles of maximal total area. Malfatti suggested that the optimal arrangement consists of three circles each of which touches the other two and two sides of the triangle. He also proved that such an arrangement exists, is unique, and is Euclidean constructible. More than a century later, \textit{H. Lob} and \textit{H. W. Richmond} showed in [Proceedings L. M. S. (2) 30, 287--304 (1929; JFM 55.0341.02)], that Malfatti's arrangement is not the optimal one, and fairly recently, \textit{V. A. Zalgaller} and \textit{G. A. Los} solved the problem completely in [J. Math. Sci., New York 72, No. 4, 3163--3177 (1994; Zbl 0835.51004)], describing the optimal arrangement. Malfatti's problem and Malfatti's arrangement (interesting on its own even though it fails to solve Malfatti's problem) have attracted a lot of attention, and their analogues for tetrahedra and for hyperbolic and spherical triangles have also been investigated. Also, the related problem of fitting, inside a given triangle, \textit{two} non-overlapping circles of maximal total area was considered and solved in the aforementioned paper by Zalgaller and Los. The paper under review highlights this variant and it also gives a new non-analytic proof. The paper is very easy and pleasant to read.