Construction #14
Construct the length of a geometric mean
To see a video of Mr. Ochs doing examples
Mr Ochs Video To see and example done in flash click on a link below None |
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Given 2 segments construct their geometric mean.
1) Make a point X and mark off a segment of XY = a + b on line k.
2) Construct a perpendicular line where a and b intersect.
3) Construct the perpendicular bisector of XY to find the midpoint.
4) Place the pointer on the midpoint from step 3 and measure to either end of XY.
5) With this radius construct a semicircle that passes through the perpendicular from step 2
6) The geometric mean between lengths a and b is the length of the segment along the perpendicular made in step 2 from the original line k to where the perpendicular intersects the semicircle.