A Herrick Among Mathematicians or Dynamic Geometry as an Aid to Proof

This column will publish short (from just a few lines to a couple of pages), lively and intriguing computer-related mathematics vignettes. These vignettes or snapshots should illustrate ways in which computer environments have transformed the practice of mathematics or mathematics pedagogy. They could also include puzzles or brain teasers involving the use of computers or computational theory. Snapshots are subject to peer review. This issue’s snapshot presents a proof of a beautiful but not commonly known theorem in Euclidean geometry. The nuggets needed for the proof of Morley’s theorem can be dug up through systematic exploration with dynamic geometry software. These empirically excavated nuggets can then be assembled into a deductive proof. The authors reflect on how such exploratory computational environments can generate more powerful interplay between empirical explorations and formal proofs.