At 04:57 PM 8/24/2005, Richard Guy wrote:
If anyone has access to Casey, would they be willing to give a brief account of the extent he mentions the Malfatti problem (3 circles, mutually touching and touchingthe sides of a triangle in pairs)? [include edition #, date, & pages -- in the 5th edition, it may be on pp.154 & 155.]
Casey's book is part of the online University of Michigan Historical Math Collection, http://www.hti.umich.edu/u/umhistmath/ . The edition there is the "Fifth Edition, Revised and Enlarged" of 1888. Malfatti's problem does appear on pages 154 and 155, along with an illustration and a solution credited to Steiner (for the construction) and Dr. Hart (for the "simple and elementary proof"). -- Fred W. Helenius <fredh@ix.netcom.com>