Question

when constrcting an inscribed polygon witha compass and straightedge how should you start construction

Answer 1

Let us say I am given a specific task of inscribing a pentagon within a circle. How will I go about it. A pentagon is a regular polygon (meaning equal sides) with five equal sides. The 5 sides will make a total of 360 degrees at the center. So each side will make 360 / 5 = 72 degrees. So I will use a protractor to measure 72 degrees at the center and mark off the points on the circle and join the points to get one side of the pentagon. So my first step is using the protractor. But it makes the assumption the polygon is regular. But for inscribing a hexagon their first step in construction is different than for the pentagon. Now you can see the ambiguity because the question does not specify how many sides the polygon has and whether it is regular or not.

Answer 2

http://www.mathopenref.com/constperpextpoint.html <---- this is a good site u should check it out