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geometry > geometric drawing > Steiner chain

Preferred term

Steiner chain  

Definition

  • In geometry, a Steiner chain is a set of n circles, all of which are tangent to two given non-intersecting circles, where n is finite and each circle in the chain is tangent to the previous and next circles in the chain. In the usual closed Steiner chains, the first and last (n-th) circles are also tangent to each other; by contrast, in open Steiner chains, they need not be. The given circles α and β do not intersect, but otherwise are unconstrained; the smaller circle may lie completely inside or outside of the larger circle. In these cases, the centers of Steiner-chain circles lie on an ellipse or a hyperbola, respectively.
    (Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steiner_chain)

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http://data.loterre.fr/ark:/67375/PSR-P7R49LRF-X

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