Inscribed Triangle in circle problem

In the LinkedIn Pre-University Geometric Algebra group, James presents a problem from the MindYourDecisions youtube channel Impossible Viral Problem, as a candidate for solution using geometric algebra.

I tried this out and found a couple ways to solve it. One of those I’ll detail here. I have to admit that part of the reason that I wanted to solve this is that the figure in the beginning of the video really bugged me. The triangle that was inscribed in the circle didn’t have any of the length properties from the problem. I could do much better with a sloppy freehand sketch, but to do a good figure, you have to actually solve for the vertexes of the triangle (once you do that, the area is easy to figure out.)

Formulating the problem.

Having solved the problem, the geometry of the problem is illustrated in fig. 1.

fig. 1. Inscribed triangle in circle.

I set up the problem so that the $$A,C$$ triangle vertices were symmetric with respect to the x-axis, and the $$B$$ vertex located elsewhere. I can describe those algebraically as
\label{eqn:inscribedTriangleProblem:20}
\begin{aligned}
\BA &= r \Be_1 e^{i\theta} \\
\BC &= r \Be_1 e^{-i\theta} \\
\BB &= r \Be_1 e^{i\phi},
\end{aligned}

where the radius $$r$$ and two angles $$\theta, \phi$$ are to be determined, and $$i = \Be_1 \Be_1$$ the pseudoscalar for the $$x-y$$ plane.
The vector pointing to the midpoint of the upper triangular face is given by the average of the $$\BA, \BB$$ vectors, which can be seen from
\label{eqn:inscribedTriangleProblem:40}
\BA + \frac{\BB – \BA}{2} = \frac{\BA + \BB}{2},

and similarly, the midpoint of the lower face is found at
\label{eqn:inscribedTriangleProblem:60}
\BC + \frac{\BB – \BC}{2} = \frac{\BB + \BC}{2},

The problem tells us that the respective lengths of those vectors from the origin are $$r-2, r – 3$$ respectively, so
\label{eqn:inscribedTriangleProblem:80}
\begin{aligned}
r – 2 &= \inv{2} \Abs{ \BA + \BB } \\
r – 3 &= \inv{2} \Abs{ \BB + \BC },
\end{aligned}

or
\label{eqn:inscribedTriangleProblem:100}
\begin{aligned}
(r – 2)^2 &= \frac{r^2}{4} \lr{ \Be_1 e^{i\theta} + \Be_1 e^{i\phi} }^2 \\
(r – 3)^2 &= \frac{r^2}{4} \lr{ \Be_1 e^{i\phi} + \Be_1 e^{-i\theta} }^2 \\
\end{aligned}

Finally, since the midpoint of the right edge is found at $$(r-1)\Be_1$$, it is clear that
\label{eqn:inscribedTriangleProblem:120}
\frac{r-1}{r} = \cos\theta,

or
\label{eqn:inscribedTriangleProblem:140}
r = \inv{1 – \cos\theta}.

This leaves us with three equations and three unknowns. Unfortunately, these are rather non-linear equations. In the video, a direct method of solving equivalent equations was demonstrated, but I picked the lazy route, and used Mathematica’s NSolve routine, solving for $$r,\theta, \phi$$ numerically. Since NSolve has intrinsic complex number support, I made the following substitutions:
\label{eqn:inscribedTriangleProblem:160}
\begin{aligned}
z &= e^{i\theta} \\
w &= e^{i\phi},
\end{aligned}

and then plugged those into our relations above, after expanding the squares, to find
\label{eqn:inscribedTriangleProblem:180}
\begin{aligned}
\lr{ \Be_1 e^{i\theta} + \Be_1 e^{i\phi} }^2
&=
2 + \Be_1 e^{i\theta} \Be_1 e^{i\phi} + \Be_1 e^{i\phi} \Be_1 e^{i\theta} \\
&=
2 + e^{-i\theta} \Be_1^2 e^{i\phi} + e^{-i\phi} \Be_1^2 e^{i\theta} \\
&=
2 + e^{-i\theta} \Be_1^2 e^{i\phi} + e^{-i\phi} \Be_1^2 e^{i\theta} \\
&=
2 + \frac{w}{z} + \frac{z}{w},
\end{aligned}

and
\label{eqn:inscribedTriangleProblem:200}
\begin{aligned}
\lr{ \Be_1 e^{i\phi} + \Be_1 e^{-i\theta} }^2
&=
2 + \Be_1 e^{i\phi} \Be_1 e^{-i\theta} + \Be_1 e^{-i\theta} \Be_1 e^{i\phi} \\
&=
2 + e^{-i\phi} e^{-i\theta} + e^{ i\theta} e^{i\phi} \\
&=
2 + w z + \inv{w z}.
\end{aligned}

This gives us
\label{eqn:inscribedTriangleProblem:220}
\begin{aligned}
4 \lr{ \frac{r – 2 }{r} }^2 &= 2 + \frac{w}{z} + \frac{z}{w} \\
4 \lr{ \frac{r – 3 }{r} }^2 &= 2 + w z + \inv{w z},
\end{aligned}

where
\label{eqn:inscribedTriangleProblem:240}
r = \inv{1 – \inv{2}\lr{ z + \inv{z}}}.

The NSolve gave me some garbage solutions (like $$\theta = 0$$) that must have been valid numerically, but did not encode the geometry of the problem, so I added a few additional constraints to the problem, namely
\label{eqn:inscribedTriangleProblem:260}
\begin{aligned}
z \bar{z} &= 1 \\
w \bar{w} &= 1 \\
\inv{2} \lr{ z + \inv{z} } &\ne 1 \\
1/(1 – (1/2) \textrm{Re}(z + 1/z)) &> 3.
\end{aligned}

This provided exactly two solutions, but when plotted, they turn out to just be mirror images of each other. After back substitution, the solution illustrated above was given by
\label{eqn:inscribedTriangleProblem:280}
\begin{aligned}
r &= 3.87939 \\
\theta &= 42.078 \\
\phi &= 164.125,
\end{aligned}

where these angles are in degrees, not radians.

The triangular area.

There are probably lots of formulas for the area of a triangle (that I have forgotten), but we can compute it easily by doubling the triangle, forming a parallelogram, to find
\label{eqn:inscribedTriangleProblem:300}
\textrm{Area} = \inv{2} \Abs{ \lr{ \BA – \BC } \wedge {\BC – \BB } },

or
\label{eqn:inscribedTriangleProblem:320}
\begin{aligned}
\textrm{Area}^2
&= \frac{-1}{4} \lr{ \lr{ \BA – \BC } \wedge \lr{\BC – \BB } }^2 \\
&= \frac{-1}{4} \lr{ \BA \wedge \BC – \BA \wedge \BB + \BC \wedge \BB }^2 \\
&= \frac{-r^4}{4} \lr{\gpgradetwo{ \Be_1 e^{i\theta} \Be_1 e^{-i\theta} – \Be_1 e^{i\theta} \Be_1 e^{i\phi} + \Be_1 e^{-i\theta} \Be_1 e^{i\phi} }}^2 \\
&= \frac{-r^4}{4} \lr{\gpgradetwo{ e^{-2 i \theta} – e^{i \phi -i\theta} + e^{i\theta + i \phi} }}^2,
\end{aligned}

so
\label{eqn:inscribedTriangleProblem:340}
\textrm{Area} = \frac{r^2}{2} \Abs{ -\sin( 2 \theta ) – \sin(\phi- \theta) + \sin(\theta + \phi)}.

Plugging in $$r, \theta, \phi$$, we find
\label{eqn:inscribedTriangleProblem:360}
\textrm{Area} = 17.1866.

After computing this value, I then finally watched the original video to compare my answer, and was initially disturbed to find that this wasn’t even one of the possible values. However, that was because the problem itself, as originally stated, didn’t include the correct answer, and my worry that I’d made a mistake was unfounded, as the value I computed matched what was computed in the video (it also looks “about right” visually.)

Constant magnetic solenoid field

September 24, 2015 phy1520 , , , , ,

In [2] the following vector potential

\label{eqn:solenoidConstantField:20}
\BA = \frac{B \rho_a^2}{2 \rho} \phicap,

is introduced in a discussion on the Aharonov-Bohm effect, for configurations where the interior field of a solenoid is either a constant $$\BB$$ or zero.

I wasn’t able to make sense of this since the field I was calculating was zero for all $$\rho \ne 0$$

\label{eqn:solenoidConstantField:40}
\begin{aligned}
\BB
&= \lr{ \rhocap \partial_\rho + \zcap \partial_z + \frac{\phicap}{\rho}
\partial_\phi } \cross \frac{B \rho_a^2}{2 \rho} \phicap \\
&= \lr{ \rhocap \partial_\rho + \frac{\phicap}{\rho} \partial_\phi } \cross
\frac{B \rho_a^2}{2 \rho} \phicap \\
&=
\frac{B \rho_a^2}{2}
\rhocap \cross \phicap \partial_\rho \lr{ \inv{\rho} }
+
\frac{B \rho_a^2}{2 \rho}
\frac{\phicap}{\rho} \cross \partial_\phi \phicap \\
&=
\frac{B \rho_a^2}{2 \rho^2} \lr{ -\zcap + \phicap \cross \partial_\phi \phicap}.
\end{aligned}

Note that the $$\rho$$ partial requires that $$\rho \ne 0$$. To expand the cross product in the second term let $$j = \Be_1 \Be_2$$, and expand using a Geometric Algebra representation of the unit vector

\label{eqn:solenoidConstantField:60}
\begin{aligned}
\phicap \cross \partial_\phi \phicap
&=
\Be_2 e^{j \phi} \cross \lr{ \Be_2 \Be_1 \Be_2 e^{j \phi} } \\
&=
– \Be_1 \Be_2 \Be_3
\Be_2 e^{j \phi} (-\Be_1) e^{j \phi}
} \\
&=
\Be_1 \Be_2 \Be_3 \Be_2 \Be_1 \\
&= \Be_3 \\
&= \zcap.
\end{aligned}

So, provided $$\rho \ne 0$$, $$\BB = 0$$.

The errata [1] provides the clarification, showing that a $$\rho > \rho_a$$ constraint is required for this potential to produce the desired results. Continuity at $$\rho = \rho_a$$ means that in the interior (or at least on the boundary) we must have one of

\label{eqn:solenoidConstantField:80}
\BA = \frac{B \rho_a}{2} \phicap,

or

\label{eqn:solenoidConstantField:100}
\BA = \frac{B \rho}{2} \phicap.

The first doesn’t work, but the second does

\label{eqn:solenoidConstantField:120}
\begin{aligned}
\BB
&= \lr{ \rhocap \partial_\rho + \zcap \partial_z + \frac{\phicap}{\rho}
\partial_\phi } \cross \frac{B \rho}{2 } \phicap \\
&=
\frac{B }{2 } \rhocap \cross \phicap
+
\frac{B \rho}{2 }
\frac{\phicap}{\rho} \cross \partial_\phi \phicap \\
&= B \zcap.
\end{aligned}

So the vector potential that we want for a constant $$B \zcap$$ field in the interior $$\rho < \rho_a$$ of a cylindrical space, we need

\label{eqn:solenoidConstantField:140}
\BA =
\left\{
\begin{array}{l l}
\frac{B \rho_a^2}{2 \rho} \phicap & \quad \mbox{if $$\rho \ge \rho_a$$ } \\
\frac{B \rho}{2} \phicap & \quad \mbox{if $$\rho \le \rho_a$$.}
\end{array}
\right.

An example of the magnitude of potential is graphed in fig. 1.

fig. 1. Vector potential for constant field in cylindrical region.

References

[1] Jun John Sakurai and Jim J Napolitano. \emph{Errata: Typographical Errors, Mistakes, and Comments, Modern Quantum Mechanics, 2nd Edition}, 2013. URL http://www.rpi.edu/dept/phys/Courses/PHYS6520/Spring2015/ErrataMQM.pdf.

[2] Jun John Sakurai and Jim J Napolitano. Modern quantum mechanics. Pearson Higher Ed, 2014.