What Is the Exterior Angle at Infinity for a Semi-Infinite Strip?

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SUMMARY

The exterior angle at infinity for a semi-infinite strip defined by 0 < y < 1 and x > 0 is calculated to be 3π. This conclusion arises from the relationship between the exterior angles of the polygon, specifically that the sum of the exterior angles must equal 2π. The exterior angles of the rectangle formed by the strip are -π/2 each, leading to the equation 2π - (-π/2 - π/2) = 3π. The discussion also touches on the challenges of visualizing this concept geometrically, particularly when projecting onto the Riemann sphere.

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Mathematicians, geometry enthusiasts, and students studying complex analysis or polygon geometry will benefit from this discussion.

rsq_a
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Suppose we have the following shape in the complex plane: The EXTERIOR of the semi-infinite strip bounded by 0 < y < 1 and x > 0. The two physical angles making up the rectangle have interior angles of 3*pi/2 and thus exterior angles of -pi/2.

Now, because the sum of the exterior angles of a polygon have to sum to 2pi, we can claim that the exterior angle at infinity is simply 2pi - (-pi/2 - pi/2) = 3pi.

However, I'm having trouble justifying this geometrically. I've looked at projecting the surface onto the Riemann sphere, but the exterior angle at infinity simply seems to be either pi or -pi. I see no reason why it has to do an additional orbit of 2pi.
 
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How many non-overlapping triangles can you determine in the polygon? Each triangle contains sum of the interior angles being [tex]\pi[/tex] radians.
 
symbolipoint said:
How many non-overlapping triangles can you determine in the polygon? Each triangle contains sum of the interior angles being [tex]\pi[/tex] radians.

How do you imagine triangles on an infinite domain? I don't see how this helps...
 
Last edited:

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