Two examples of circumscribed geometric figures
Circumscribe is the act of limiting something to certain terms or limits . It is a verb whose etymological origin takes us to Latin, where we find the term circumscribĕre .
in geometry
In the field of geometry , circumscribing consists of drawing a figure in such a way that it surrounds another, seeking that the two are tangent at the greatest possible number of points . Thus, when circumscribing a figure, we try to ensure that different points of its perimeter are in contact with the perimeter of a second one.
Take the case of a circumcircle . This figure passes through the vertices of a polygon , which it contains inside and which is called a cyclic polygon . On the other hand, the figure that remains inside the other can also be called inscribed .
Between a polygon and a circle we can also carry out circumscription in the reverse sense: a polygon circumscribed in a circle. To do this, the vertices of the first must be located on the outside, while contact with the circumference must be made through its sides, more specifically the midpoint of each of them . Note, also, that the center of it must be at the same distance from all sides.
Some examples
Let's look at three example sentences of the term circumscribe , to understand its meaning in context: “The curator decided to limit the exhibition to the last ten years of the artist's career,” “The government intends to limit the acts of corruption to a few lower -ranking officials.” , but the truth is that a criminal network is being investigated that reaches the highest levels of power" , "We should not limit calculation errors to the infectious disease specialists of our country, since the virus has baffled specialists throughout the world and no one was able to accurately predict the development of the pandemic.”
In the first sentence, we talk about an artistic exhibition that is framed in a specific era of a creator's work, leaving out all others. The second tells us about the foolish attitude of a government that tries to make the people believe that only a small portion of their body is corrupt. Finally, the sender of the third example maintains that it is not fair to blame only national infectious disease specialists for the failures, since foreign ones have not been successful either. The constituency, therefore, imposes strict limits, which are often unfair or exaggerated.
Restrict
Circumscribing also works as a synonym for restricting , in that it involves the action of "limiting" or "reducing" the access of a thing to a well-defined space. We can mention other similar words, such as girdle, adjust or mold , but always understanding that there is a slight nuance that denotes imposition, rigidity. We have seen above that sometimes it can be relatively violent for the object or subject that is circumscribed; However, this verb can also be used to confront a violent situation, containing it .
Circumscribe is "to restrict" or "to limit."
Suppose a fire breaks out in a national park. At first, the fire spreads uncontrollably, but then firefighters manage to confine the fire to the southern area of the park . This means that they were able to extinguish the flames on the rest of the surface, limiting the problem to the southern sector of the reserve.
Fire has a force that can only be compared to that of water, wind, lava and earthquakes. Nature unleashes its anger, or that is how we sometimes understand it, and we feel that there is no way to stop it. However, in certain natural disasters we can restrict its action to a certain area , to minimize damage. Circumscribing a fire is a clear example of such a strategy.