compass and straightedge construction of angle bisector


One can construct the (interior) angle bisectorMathworldPlanetmath of a given angle using compass and straightedge as follows:

  1. 1.

    With one point of the compass on the vertex (http://planetmath.org/Vertex5) of the angle, draw an arc that intersects both sides (http://planetmath.org/Side3) of the angle.

  2. 2.

    Draw an arc from each of these points of intersection so that the arcs intersect in the interior of the angle. The compass needs to stay open the same amount throughout this step.

  3. 3.

    Draw the ray from the vertex of the angle to the intersection of the two arcs drawn during the previous step.

This construction is justified because the point determined in the second step is equidistant from the two rays and thus must lie on the angle bisector.

If you are interested in seeing the rules for compass and straightedge constructions, click on the provided.

Title compass and straightedge construction of angle bisector
Canonical name CompassAndStraightedgeConstructionOfAngleBisector
Date of creation 2013-03-22 17:11:09
Last modified on 2013-03-22 17:11:09
Owner Wkbj79 (1863)
Last modified by Wkbj79 (1863)
Numerical id 18
Author Wkbj79 (1863)
Entry type Algorithm
Classification msc 51-00
Classification msc 51M15
Synonym construction of angle bisector