Maximal Angle Flow on the Shape Sphere of Triangles

Abstract

There has been recent work using Shape Theory to answer the longstanding and conceptually interesting problem of what is the probability that a triangle is obtuse. This is resolved by three kissing cap-circles of rightness being realized on the shape sphere; integrating up the interiors of these caps readily yields the answer to be 3/4. We now generalize this approach by viewing rightness as a particular value of maximal angle, and then covering the shape sphere with the maximal angle flow. Therein, we discover that the kissing cap-circles of rightness constitute a separatrix. The two qualitatively different regimes of behaviour thus separated both moreover carry distinct analytic pathologies: cusps versus excluded limit points. The equilateral triangles are centres in this flow, whereas the kissing points themselves -- binary collision shapes -- are more interesting and elaborate critical points. The other curves' formulae and associated area integrals are more complicated, and yet remain evaluable. As a particular example, we evaluate the probability that a triangle is Fermat-acute, meaning that its Fermat point is nontrivially located; the critical maximal angle in this case is 120 degrees.