Construction of 3 circles touching each other externally.

Question

The context is construction of three circles with different radii so that they touch each other externally using a graduated ruler and a compass.

I have done it by drawing a triangle where each side is the sum of the radii of distinct combination of two circles and then drawing the circles by taking the vertex as the centre of a circle.

My question is why does my method work and is this the standard method to do the construction in context because i could not find anything about it on the internet.

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Feb 11 '17 at 21:29

1

Your method works well. If you draw the line segments between each pair of centers they are composed of two radii, which justifies your construction.

answered Feb 11 '17 at 21:29

Ross Millikan

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Is this the standard method? – MrAP Feb 11 '17 at 21:33
I would say so, but don't really know as I don't teach the subject. It is simple and easy to justify, so it should be. – Ross Millikan Feb 11 '17 at 21:38

Construction of 3 circles touching each other externally.

1 Answers1