A hyperbolic proof of Pascal's theorem

DOI10.1007/S00283-021-10074-WMaRDI QIDQ2153990zbMATH OpenOpenAlexWikidataFDO

Authors Miguel Acosta, Jean-Marc Schlenker

Publication date 13 July 2022

Published in The Mathematical Intelligencer (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/2012.14883

zbMATH Keywords

Pascal's mysticum hexagrammaticumpolarities

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Configuration theorems in linear incidence geometry (51A20) Desarguesian and Pappian geometries (51A30) Elementary problems in hyperbolic and elliptic geometries (51M09)

Abstract: We provide a simple proof of Pascal's Theorem on cyclic hexagons, as well as a generalization by M"obius, using hyperbolic geometry.

Review text

Pascal's theorem on hexagons inscribed in conic sections is proved ``the Klein model of the hyperbolic plane (meaning that only basic properties of the polarity, defining in the manner of von Staudt the conic, are used). Its 1847 generalization by Möbius to \((4n+2)\)-gons is stated and proved as well. The note is written in the axiomatically naïve style typical of articles on geometry in mathematics journals aimed at a wider audience. The reader could have been made aware that there was an axiomatic turn in this field, more than a century ago, and that the subject of this paper, Pascal's hexagon theorem has been treated in that axiomatic spirit in [\textit{F. Buekenhout}, Arch. Math. 17, 89--93 (1966; Zbl 0136.42401)], and then refined in a large number of papers, all cited in the survey by the reviewer and \textit{C. Schacht} [Geometry in history. Cham: Springer. 355--399 (2019; Zbl 1454.01016)]. The reader is kept in the dark about that entire literature, including \textit{K. Strambach} [Arch. Math. 64, No. 2, 170--184 (1995; Zbl 0820.51002)].

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Cites work

• A hyperbolic view of the seven circles theorem
• Extending the Pascal mysticum
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 3266283 (Why is no real title available?)
• Perspectives on projective geometry. A guided tour through real and complex geometry
• The Pascal mysticum demystified

Cited in

(4)

• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1264157 (Why is no real title available?)
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1080097 (Why is no real title available?)
• Relative conics and their Brianchon points
• Another Simple Proof of Pascal’s Theorem

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