A case study in universal geometry: extending Apollonian circles to relativistic geometry and finite fields (Q2201000)

The authors present a new look, a modern view about the geometry and establish some novel tools for algebraic investigations in affine metrical geometry based on the key role of the planar cross and dot products. After the definition of the blue, red and green geometries on the affine plane by the dot product, they introduce several very important notions of the affine space. For example: quadrance of a vector, Apollonian circles, pencil of circles, radical axis, quadrea and circumquadrance of a triangle etc. The blue geometry is the usual Euclidean geometry, while the red and green geometries are associated with the special relativity of Einstein. In this paper, the authors investigate and extend classical results for the Apollonian circles of a triangle which holds in all above three chromogeometries. For example, the following property: the Apollonian circles of a triangle are perpendicular to the circumcircle at the vertices. Other new results are also included in this interesting and exciting paper: a curvature relation between the three Apollonian circles, a criteria for the existence of isodynamic points, more general formulations of the Lemoine and Brocard axes etc.