Pierre Wantzel was a French mathematician, and this 1837 paper in the Journal de Mathematiques Pures et Appliquees is his own proof establishing the necessary condition for a length to be constructible with compass and straightedge, from which the impossibility of trisecting a general angle by that method follows. Its authority is mathematical rather than institutional: the result is a proof, checkable and long since verified and absorbed into standard algebra and geometry curricula, not a claim resting on Wantzel's reputation. Its limit is scope, the paper addresses classical compass-and-straightedge construction specifically, so a claim about angle trisection by other means, such as a marked ruler or paper folding, which are not restricted the same way, needs a separate source.
Facts
Assessment
Reliability Tier1
Wantzel's own primary 1837 paper published in the Journal de Mathematiques Pures et Appliquees, cited here as the primary source of the proof itself. NotesNecessity half of the constructibility criterion, and the impossibility of trisecting a general angle.
Citation
AuthorPierre Wantzel
PublisherJournal de Mathematiques Pures et Appliquees
Publication Year1837
Source TypeJournal article (primary)
Claims Backed By This Source (30 claims)
This source backs 30 claims across the atlas. As facts: 28 well-attested. Plus 2 entities citing it as a general reference with no single fact or relationship attached.
Disposition By Topic
- Sacred Geometry, 19 claims: 17 well-attested, 2 general references.
- Sources, 7 claims: 7 well-attested.
- Articles, 4 claims: 4 well-attested.
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