I had to make an app that solves the problem of Apollonius about half a year ago, so I'm publishing it here in case someone needs it.
Now for those of you who don't know what the problem of Apollonius is:
It's about geometry, or more precisely Euclidean plain geometry. The task is to construct all circles (or lines) that are tangent to ("touch") three circles (or a point / line).
Now this may sound easy, but try to do this with three points, which is the most easy one (as much as I remember). You'll soon find out it isn't that easy. But if you use something called "inversion" (not the app), it's very easy. Inversion is sometimes also called "mirroring in a circle" (at least in German), which explains the concept very well (google for it if you want).
This is my first app (other than web apps), so don't expect too much of it. But still it's fun to play around.
It's free and I'll give you the source code if you want (I'm not good at choosing copyleft licenses, so I'd appreciate advise).
Download:
Inversion1.1.dmg
How to use:
Add shapes with the plus button on the bottom left of the window. You can change the properties of the shapes using the inspector. If you have 3 shapes, the solution of the problem of Apollonius will be drawn in red.
System requirements:
- Mac OS 10.5 Leopard (Universal)
- 1 MB of free disk space
Screenshot: