Pascal's theorem (hexagrammum mysticum)
Teorema de Pascal (hexagrammum mysticum)
- Date
- 1639-1640 · confidence medium
- Place
- Paris, France
- Credited to
- Blaise Pascal
- Field
- Knowledge & symbols
What was discovered
At just 16, Pascal proved that if a hexagon is inscribed in any conic, the three pairs of extended opposite sides meet at three collinear points. He published the result the following year in a broadside titled "Essay pour les coniques".
The Pascal family moved from Paris to Rouen in early 1640; the theorem was conceived in 1639, probably still in Paris.
What it led to
- Generalization of Pappus's hexagon theorem
- The hexagrammum mysticum configuration (60 Pascal lines)
- A special case of the Cayley–Bacharach theorem