On the Solutions of Three Ancient Problems

This article discusses the problems of trisecting the angle, squaring the circle, and duplicating the cube, none of which can be solved using compass and straight-edge alone. It is shown that particular cases of the curves \[ r = \sin \frac{\pi}{n} \operatorname{csc} \frac{\theta}{2k}, \tag{1} \] \(n\) a positive integer \(\ge 2\); \(k=1,2,3,\ldots,n\) and the curve \[ r = \lim_{n\to\infty}\sin \frac{\pi}{n} \operatorname{csc} \frac{\theta}{2n} = \frac{2\pi}{\theta} \tag{2} \] can be used to solve these problems. The trisection of the angle is accomplished by the curve \(r = \sin \frac{\pi}{3} \operatorname{csc} \frac{\theta}{6}\) obtained by putting \(k=n=3\) in (1); and, more generally, the authors go on to explain that if the curves \(r = \sin \frac{\pi}{n} \operatorname{csc} \frac{\theta}{2k}\) \((n\ge 2)\) are available for \(k=1,2,3,\ldots,m\), then they can be used to divide an angle into \(1,2,3,\ldots\) or \(m\) equal parts. Squaring the circle is achieved by means of the curve (2); and the curve \(r = \sin \frac{\pi}{3} \operatorname{csc} \frac{\theta}{6}\) obtained by putting \(n=3\) and \(k =1\) in (1), is used to duplicate the cube. The entire paper is an interesting elementary study in polar equations of curves, which can be understood by advanced high school students. The above methods of solving the three famous problems constitute a good preliminary to the arguments showing the impossibility of solving these problems by compass and straight-edge alone, which the student will encounter at a much later stage of his education when he has studied sufficient field theory.

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