THREE CLASSES OF TRIANGLES

A.Zaslavsky, O.Zaslavsky, F.Ivlev, P.Kozhevnikov, D.Krekov

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Áåç êàêîé-ëèáî ïóòíîé ìûñëè,

Ñëîâíî âåäðà âîäû ïóäîâûå

ß ïðèíåñ âàì íà êîðîìûñëå.

À.Âåëèêèé

1 Denitions and introductory problems

Every triangle has an incircle and a circumcircle. In addition to it, every triangle
has three excircles, each of them touching one of the sides of the triangle and the
extensions of two other sides. For a triangle ABC we denote:
Ω  circumcircle, O, R  its center and radius;
γ  incircle, I , r  its center and radius;
γa , γb , γc  excircles, Ia , Ib , Ic  their centers, ra , rb , rc  their raduiuses.
The main objects that we study are three special kinds of triangles.
Denition A. A- triangle is a triangle in which OI ∥ BC .
Denition B. B - triangle is a triangle in which circles γb è Ω are perpendicular.
Denition C. C - triangle is a triangle in which R = rc.
In the problems that are marked by the letters A, B, C , we mean that A, B , C -
triangle is given (otherwise the triangle ABC is arbitrary). If we formulate some
proposition in the problem, you should prove it. For every proved property A, B ,
C-triangles we oer you to nd out, if it is equivalent to the denition of A, B ,
C-triangles .
For the triangle ABC we use such notations:
C0 , A0 , B0  midpoints of AB , BC è CA respectively;
AHa , BHb , CHc  altitudes;
Ha′ , Hb′ , Hc′  second intersection points of altitudes and Ω.
C ′ , A′ , B ′  middles of the arcs AB , BC , CA of the circle Ω, not containing its
vertices;
C ′′ , A′′ , B ′′  middles of the arcs ACB , BAC , CBA of the circle Ω;
C1 , A1 , B1  intersection points of γ and the sides AB , BC , AC respectively;
Cc , Ac , Bc  intersection points of γc and the sides AB , BC , AC (similarly for the
circles γa è γb);
H  orthocenter, M  the common point of medians , G  the Gergonne point
(the common point of AA1, BB1, CC1), N  The Nagel point (the common point
of AAa, BBb, CCc), F  the Feuerbach point.
1. In any acute triangle the sum of distances from O to the sides equals R + r.
2. a) In any triangle OI 2 = R2 − 2Rr.
In any triangle OIc2 = R2 + 2Rrc.
3. Let KA1  be the diameter of the circle γ . Then AK contains N .
1
 1A. Construct A-triangle if its circumcircle and the point I are given.
2A. Point A′ is the center of excircle of triangle ∆, whose sides are the lines OI ,
AB and AC .

3A. N lies on AO.

4A. cos ̸ B + cos ̸ C = 1.
5A. r + ra = 2R.
6A. A0I intersects AH at the point Z such that AZ = r.
7A. |OA1| = R − r.
8A. A1 lies on Ha′ O.
9A. ̸ AIH = 90◦.
10A. F lies on AH .
11A. The center of homothety with positive ratio taking γ to Ω lies in AHa.
12A. A′C ′ è A′B ′  are external angle bisectors of ∆.

1B. rb = 2R.
2B. à) cos A2 cos C2 sin B2 = 12 .
á) cos C + cos A = cos B + 1.
3B. H lies on A1C1.
4B. The line that passes through the bases of the altitudes drawn from A è C , is
tangent γ .
5B. The point symmetric to I with respect to O, lies on BC .

1C. Determine the length of the common chord of γc è Ω (R is given).

2C. Find the angles of isosceles C -triangle
3C. a)cos A2 cos B2 sin C2 = 14 .
b) cos C = cos A + cos B.
4Ñ. Let Cc, Ac, Bc  be the tangent points of γc with the side AB and the
extensions of the sides BC , AC .
5Ñ. a) Prove that the segments ICc, IaAc, IbBc è IcO have a common point.
b) Determine the ratio in which this point divides the segment IcO.
2
6Ñ. AAc = BBc = CCc .
It is known that lines joining verices of a tringle with touching points of the
inscribed circle and the opposite side have a common point. This point is called
G is called Gergonne point . Similarly, if we replace the incircle by the excircle
we can dene three external Gergonne points Ga , Gb , Gc .

7Ñ. Gc lies on the circumcircle of the triangle ABC .

8Ñ. O  is the orthocenter of triangle AcBcCc.

3
 Three classes of triangles
Solutions

1 Definitions and introductory problems

1. Applying the Ptolemy theorem to cyclic quadrilaterals OA0 CB0 , OB0 AC0 , OC0 BA0
and summing the obtained equalities we have
b+c c+a a+b
Rp = d1 + d2 + d3 ,
2 2 2
where p is the semiperimeter of the triangle. Since ad1 +bd22 +cd3 = SABC = pr, this is
equivalent to the desired equality.
Note. If we consider d1 , d2 , d3 as the oriented distances this formula is also correct
for an obtuse-angled triangle.
2. a) Note that R2 − OI 2 = CI · C 0 I because this is the absolute value of the degree
of I wrt Ω. Also we have that CI = r/ sin C2 , and C 0 I = AI = BI = 2R sin C2 by
the trident theorem. From this we obtain the desired equality.
b) Considering the degree of Ic we obtain the similar proof.
3. Let the line passing through K and parallel to BC meet AB, AC at points X, Y
respectively. Then γ is the excircle of triangle AXY homothetic to ABC. Points K
and A2 are correspondent in this homothety, thus these points and the homothety
center A are collinear.

1A. Using the definition of A-triangle we obtain that the diameter perpendicular
to OI meets the circumcircle at A0 . By the trident theorem this point is the
circumcircle of triangle IBC. Therefore constructing this circle we find two
vertices of the desired triangle. The third vertex is the second common point
of A0 I and the circumcircle.

2A. We can suppose that AB ≤ AC. Let X be the projection of A0 to AB, and
La be the base of the bisector from A. Note that 6 OA0 I = 6 BA0 X because
6 A0 BX = 6 A0 CA = ^ABA0 /2 = ^AB + ^A0 C/2 = 6 A0 La C = 6 A0 IO.

Since A0 B = A0 I this yields that the distances from A0 to AB, AC and OI are
equal.

3A. We obtain this from the previous problem considering the homothety mapping
∆ to ABC.

4A. By problem 1 the sum of distances from O to AB and AC is equal to R

because OA0 = r, this yields the desired assertion because OC0 = R cos 6 C,
OB0 = R cos 6 B.

1
 5A. Similarly to problem 1 we obtain that in an arbitrary triangle ra − R = d2 +
d3 − d1 . Summing this with the equality of problem 1 we obtain that r + ra =
BH + CH. In A-triangle this is equivalent to the desired equality by the
previous problem.

6A. This assertion is true for an arbitrary triangle and follows from the similarity
of triangles A0 A0 I and ZAI. In fact since A0 A0 = R(1 − cos A) = 2R sin2 A2 we
obtain that AZ = A0 A0 · AI/A0 I = r.

7A. By the previous problem AO k A0 I. Thus triangle A0 A0 I is similar to isosceles

triangle A0 OA, i.e. OA1 = IA0 = A0 A0 = R−r. This also follows from problem
2: in fact OA21 = IA21 + IO2 = r2 − 2Rr + R2 = (R − r)2 . The first equality is
true because OI k BC.

8A. Since AO k A0 I, lines OHa0 and A0 I form equal angles with altitudes AH.
But lines A0 I and OA1 also form equal angles with AH because OA0 A1 I is a
rectangle.

9A. Since 6 IAH = | B−C

2
| the desired assertion is equivalent to 2R cos A cos B−C
2
=
A
r/ sin 2 and to cos B + cos C = 1.
From problem 6A we have AZ = r, also AH = 2OA0 = 2r and 6 IAZ =
6 IAO = 6 AOI because AO k IA0 . From this ZA = ZO = ZI, which evidently

yields the assertion of the problem.

10A. From problem 6А we obtain that line A0 I bisects segment AH, i.e. their com-
mon point Z lies on the Euler circle. Also since OA k A0 I we obtain that
6 AIZ = 6 OAI = 6 IAZ and IZ = AZ = r. Therefore Z lies also on the

incircle, i.e. Z coincide with F .

11A For an arbitrary triangle the considered homothety center is isogonally con-
jugated to the Nagel point. Hence the desired assertion immediately follows
from problem 3А.

12A. This evidently follows from problem 2А because A0 C 0 is perpendicular to the

bisector of angle B.

1B. Since the circles are orthogonal R2 + 2Rrb = OIb2 = R2 + rb2 .

2B. a) Since BAb = p, we have Rb = ptg B2 = R(sin A + sin B + sin C)tg B2 . But
sin A + sin B + sin C = 2 sin A+B 2
cos A−B
2
+ 2 sin C2 cos C2 . Since A+B
2
= π2 − C2 ,
this is equal to 2 cos C2 (cos A−B
2
+ cos A+B
2
) = 4 cos A2 cos B2 cos C2 which yields
the desired equality.
b) By the previous problem 1 = 2 sin B2 cos A2 cos C2 = sin B2 (cos A−C
2
+ sin B2 ) =
1
2
(sin B+A−C
2
+ sin B+C−A
2
+ 1 − cos B. Since B+A−C2
= π2 − C this is equivalent
to the desired equality.

2
3B. In next problem we prove that line Ha Hc touches γ, i.e. γ is the excircle of
triangle BHa Hc , which is similar to the given triangle with coefficient cos B.
Hence cos B = r/rb = (p − b)/p and A1 Cb ⊥ BC, C1 Ab ⊥ AB. Then by the
Thales theorem lines AHa and CHc meet A1 C1 at the same point.

4B. Since Ha Hc = AC cos B quadrilateral AHc Ha C is circumscribed if and only if

AC + AC cos B = AC cos A + AC cos B, which coincide with the equality from
problem 2B.

5B. Since rb = 2R and r = rb cos B we obtain that OB0 = r/2, which evidently
yields the desired assertion. Note also that the reflection of I about O lies on
the perpendiculars from Aa , Bb , Cc to the correspondent sidelines. Therefore
in B-triangle this point coincide with Bb .

√
1C. Let R = rc = 1. Then by problem 2 OIc = 3. The centers of the circles and
their common points form a rhombus, therefore its second diagonal is equal to
1.

2C. Answer. π/4, π/4, π/2.

Hint. Use the next problem.

3C. The solution is similar to problem 2В.

4С.

5С. Triangles IIa Ib and Cc Bc Ac are homothetic because because their sidelines are
parallel to two internal and one external bisector of the given triangle. Also
triangle ABC is the orthotriangle of triangle IIa Ib . Thus the circumradius of
triangle IIa Ib is equal to 2R, and its cirumcenter is the reflection of Ic in O.
Hence the homothety center lies on segment Ic O and divide it in ratio 2 : 1.

6С. It is easy to see that 6 OAIc = 6 AIc Ac .√Also OA = Ic Ac . Thus OAIc Ac is an

isosceles trapezoid and AAc = OIc = R 3. Similarly two remaining segments
have the same length.

7С. The angle between AAC and BBc is equal to 26 AIc B because these lines are
symmetric to OIc wrt the perpendicular bisectors to segments AIc and BIc
respectively.

8С. Immediately follows from problem 5С. Also this can be obtained from problem
6C considering the correspondent isosceles trapezoids.