Ruler and Compass Construction 6
Hexagon on a Given Segment
Reset
1. Arc centered at A, through B
2. Arc centered at B, through A
3. Intersection O, center of hexagon
4. Arc centered at O, through A
5. Intersections, points C and F
6. Arc centered at C, through O
7. Arc centered at D, through O
8. Hexagon sides BC, CD, DE, EF, FA
Why it works:
ABO forms an equilateral triangle, so chord AB subtends a 60 degree angle from O. Hence copying
the chord around the circle centered at O gives 60 degree chords, which form the hexagon.