arXiv · 1708.04002
On the dynamics of the Pappus-Steiner map
Abstract
We extract a two-dimensional dynamical system from the theorems of Pappus and Steiner in classical projective geometry. We calculate an explicit formula for this system, and study its elementary geometric properties. Then we use Artin reciprocity to characterise all sufficiently large primes $p$ for which this system admits periodic points of orders $3$ and $4$ over the field ${\mathbb F}_p$; this leads to an unexpected Galois-theoretic conjecture for $n$-periodic points. We also give a short discussion of Leisenring's theorem, and show that it leads to the same dynamical system as the Pappus-Steiner theorem. The appendix contains a computer-aided analysis of this system over the field of real numbers.
Explore related subjects
Keep this discovery
Jaydeep Chipalkatti, Attila Dénes. 2017-08-14. On the dynamics of the Pappus-Steiner map. https://arxiv.org/abs/1708.04002
Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.