arbelos   What is an arbelos? Properties of an arbelos         Distances and areas         Archimedes' circles         Apollonius circle         Bankoff circle         Pappus chain References   Stephen Tan 42373027 Dec 16, 2005 Math 308 by Dr. Bill Casselman Final Project   An arbelos - or, an arbelos as Archimedes called it - means a "shoemaker's knife" in Greek. This was appropriate, as it resembled the knives used by ancient cobblers and leather workers. (Weisstein, 2005)   Archimedes was believed to be the first mathematician to study the mathematical properties of this intriguing shape. However, the arbelos also attracted the attention of many famous mathematicians such as Descartes, Fermat, and Newton. (What Is, 2005) It is also noted that the location of the central notch is arbitrary. (Archimedes Book, 2005)