I was recently asked for an elegant proof of the following problem. It’s based on a construction challenge from Euclidea. Given: Circles A, B, and C, such that point C is on circle A, point B is on circles A and C, point E is on circles B and C, and point D is on…
Author: Clio
The Assault in Chicago and BLM’s Clear and Proper Response
This year began with a brutal, violent act: Four black adults apparently tortured a white man with special needs for several days in Chicago, livestreaming on Facebook portions of the assault. The next week, in a superficially unrelated story, a white man was sentenced to death for killing nine black people in an attack at the Emanuel…
Factorial
I am yet over rocky cliffs, briefly divining strengths — reluctance devouring temporal madness amidst hours with the id: I. — ptkh 011217
Social Anxiety and the Highly Sensitive Person: A Reflection
I recently posted a meme on my personal Facebook account admitting to having an anxiety disorder. I prefaced it with a paragraph of neurotic text criticizing the meme for being the wrong color, then faux-mocking myself for the meta-criticism. I am a highly sensitive person with social anxiety. I use humor to deflect from dealing…
Creating a Non-Toxic Masculinity
Welcome to 2017. At long last, 2016 is over. Last year saw the election of a President seen by many people as representing some of the worst aspects of what it means to be a man: Sexually aggressive (in word, at least), dismissive of women, bullying the vulnerable, and aggressive towards criticism. In the wake of…
Using Privilege as Opportunity, Recognizing Privilege as Default
Merry Christmas! I hope that Santa brought you everything you wanted this year. I wrote that greeting because it’s December 25th, and I live in the United States. According to Pew Research Center, nearly three-fourths of Americans identify as Christian. While I don’t identify that way, it’s not unusual for me to say “Merry Christmas.”…
Make Americans Great Again
Nearly eighty years ago, Glinda the Good Witch told us all how to get back home again: “You don’t need to be helped any longer. You’ve always had the power to go back to Kansas.” The Electoral College meets tomorrow. Barring a truly historic rebellion, the College will finalize the election of Donald Trump to…
How to Be a Proper Ally (Don’t Expect Roses)
I am a white male. I am also a feminist and a black rights comrade. I have something to tell any of my fellow white males who want to join the fight: Don’t expect to be trusted by everyone you’re trying to help. In the wake of the election, there seem to be many of…
Secant to a Circle
What is the equation of a line that is secant to a circle with radius \(r\) and center \((0,0)\)? This question started as a challenge with a student. She wanted to draw a pentagram on a graphing calculator, and while she could do the five lines freehand, she needed the equation of a circle. So…
Overcoming Our Racist Upbringing
I am a white American, born a year after the Detroit riots and a month before the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As a child in Pontiac, Michigan, I was bussed from my mostly-white neighborhood to a mostly-black elementary school as part of a legally-compelled experiment in desegregation. My family moved not long…