Subject: [HM] Malfatti's problem
From: Kotera Hiroshi (kotera@asahi.email.ne.jp)
Date: Tue Mar 21 2000 - 06:08:34 EST
Hi all
In 1803, G.F.Malfatti proposed the problem of cutting three right circular
cylinders and of maximum total volume from a given right triangular
prism. The problem was intuitively reduced to the following:
To inscribe three circles in a given triangle so that each circle will
be tangent to two sides of the triangle and to the other two circles.
In "A Survey of Geometry", H.Eves said that Malfatti gave a prolix and
incomplete analytical solution of the reduced problem.
I have two questions on the Malfatti problem.
(1)On the intuitive reduced problem, I would like to know the
incomplete proof by Malfatti himself.
(2)Is the original Malfatti problem still unsolved?
regards
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Hiroshi Kotera
1014-4 Tokujyo-cho
Nara City 630-8144 JAPAN
email : kotera@asahi.email.ne.jp
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~nj7h-ktr/
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