Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!bbn!rochester!cornell!batcomputer!sun.soe.clarkson.edu!naughton
From: naughton@sun.soe.clarkson.edu (Patrick Naughton)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics
Subject: Re: Algorithm wanted: Circle enclosing points
Message-ID: <681@sun.soe.clarkson.edu>
Date: 4 Apr 88 19:09:52 GMT
References: <3297@csli.STANFORD.EDU>
Organization: Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY
Lines: 29

From article <3297@csli.STANFORD.EDU>, by rustcat@csli.STANFORD.EDU (Vallury Prabhakar):
> This is pretty trivial.  Pick any point in the set as the centre.  Compute
> the largest distance from the remaining points.  That will give you the 
> radius of the circle (after adding an appropriate factor for enclosure as
> opposed to lying on the circumference, of course).
> 
> 						-- Vallury Prabhakar
> 						-- rustcat@cnc-sun.stanford.edu

You've got to be kidding...

I mean really... just try a "trivial" case on your idea...

Like *ANY* two points...

 It is obvious that the enclosing circle here would have a radius of 1/2
the distance between the two with the center at the midpoint of the line
connecting them...  Not, as you suggest, centered at either of them and
a radius of the distance between them. 

I think you missed the point that the original poster was looking for
the smallest enclosing circle, not an arbitrary enclosing circle. 

-Patrick	 ___________________________________________
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