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Viewing Version 5 of 'angle of view of a line segment'
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Title of object: angle of view of a line segment
Canonical Name: AngleOfViewOfALineSegment
Type: Topic

Created on: 2007-10-04 11:28:37
Modified on: 2007-10-10 13:55:27

Creator: pahio
Modifier: pahio
Author: pahio

Classification: msc:51G05, msc:51F20
Defines: angle of view

Revision comment (for changes between this and next version):

testing HTML

Preamble:

% this is the default PlanetMath preamble. as your knowledge
% of TeX increases, you will probably want to edit this, but
% it should be fine as is for beginners.

% almost certainly you want these
\usepackage{amssymb}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{amsfonts}

% used for TeXing text within eps files
%\usepackage{psfrag}
% need this for including graphics (\includegraphics)
%\usepackage{graphicx}
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\usepackage{amsthm}
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\usepackage{pstricks}

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\theoremstyle{definition}
\newtheorem*{thmplain}{Theorem}
Content:

Let $PQ$ be a line segment and $A$ a point not belonging to $PQ$. Let the magnitude of the angle $PAQ$ be $\alpha$. One says that the line segment $PQ$ {\em is seen from the point $A$ in an angle of $\alpha$}; one may also speak of the {\em angle of view} of $PQ$.

The locus of the points from which a given line segment $PQ$ is seen in an angle of $\alpha$ (with\, $0 < \alpha < 180^\circ$) consists of two congruent circular arcs having the line segment as the common chord and containing the circumferential angles equal to $\alpha$.

Especially, the locus of the points from which the line segment is seen in an angle of $90^\circ$ is the circle having the line segment as its diameter.


\begin{center}
\begin{pspicture}(-3,-3)(3,3)
\psline[linecolor=blue](-1.73,0)(1.73,0)
\rput[a](-2.1,-0.1){$P$}
\rput[a](2.1,-0.1){$Q$}
\psarc[linecolor=red](0,1){2}{-30}{210}
\psarc[linecolor=red](0,-1){2}{-210}{30}
\psline(-1.73,0)(-1.2,2.6)
\psline(1.73,0)(-1.2,2.6)
\psline(-1.73,0)(2,1)
\psline(1.73,0)(2,1)
\rput[a](-1.08,2.25){$\alpha$}
\rput[a](1.72,0.75){$\alpha$}
\psdots[linecolor=blue](-1.73,0)(1.73,0)
\psdots[linecolor=red](-1.2,2.6)(2,1)
\end{pspicture}
\end{center}