Trisecting the Angle/Historical Note

Historical Note on Trisecting the Angle

The exercise to trisect of the general angle using a compass and straightedge construction, was an exercise that the ancient Greeks failed to succeed in.

This was one of three such problems: the other two being Squaring the Circle and Doubling the Cube.

There are several techniques available that use other tools, but these were considered unacceptably vulgar to the followers of Plato.

Sources

• 1937: Eric Temple Bell: Men of Mathematics ... (previous) ... (next): Chapter $\text{II}$: Modern Minds in Ancient Bodies
• 1986: David Wells: Curious and Interesting Numbers ... (previous) ... (next): $3$
• 1997: David Wells: Curious and Interesting Numbers (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): $3$