Vector Identities Related to the Newton–Gauss Line and Pappus’s Theorem

In plane Euclidean geometry, some classical results can be expressed through closely related algebraic identities. This paper considers a class of identities based on vector cross products and illustrates their use in several geometric configurations. Using the Newton–Gauss line theorem as a representative example, we present two proofs in vector cross product form, one obtained via the method of undetermined coefficients. From the resulting identity, several special cases follow, including The American Mathematical Monthly Problem E1216. The same type of identity is then applied to configurations related to Pappus’s theorem, clarifying how certain algebraic identities correspond to specific area relations, and yielding an additional collinearity property involving centroids.

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Publication Details

Journal
American Mathematical Monthly
Published
2026-08-24
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/00029890.2026.2702865
Primary Topic
Mathematics and Applications
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Vector Identities Related to the Newton–Gauss Line and Pappus’s Theorem

Qihang Chen, Xicheng Peng
American Mathematical Monthly
Mathematics and Applications
article

Vector Identities Related to the Newton–Gauss Line and Pappus’s Theorem

Qihang Chen, Xicheng Peng
article en

Abstract

In plane Euclidean geometry, some classical results can be expressed through closely related algebraic identities. This paper considers a class of identities based on vector cross products and illustrates their use in several geometric configurations. Using the Newton–Gauss line theorem as a representative example, we present two proofs in vector cross product form, one obtained via the method of undetermined coefficients. From the resulting identity, several special cases follow, including The American Mathematical Monthly Problem E1216. The same type of identity is then applied to configurations related to Pappus’s theorem, clarifying how certain algebraic identities correspond to specific area relations, and yielding an additional collinearity property involving centroids.

American Mathematical Monthly
Central China Normal University (CN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 5%
Mathematics and Applications
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