O g- eee sen" “ooh A SOLUTION TO THE PROBIEM OF APOLLONTUS by Kirk MeDonald May 19, i964 for Mr, Wilson Gnglish 8-2ABSTRACT One of the most famous problons of classical geometry 1s tho ruler and compass construction of a circle tangent to three given circles. This paper demonstrates one solution, accredited to Apollonius, the Greek nathoaatSeian vhoso nawo,the pyeblam beara, Although the value of a solution to, say, draftsnéry the primary interest in it derives fron the mathematical beauty of the problem and the elegance of its solution, The particular solution presented here is also significant for the insight it offers into the nature of geonetric proofs, Redue~ tion of the problem to simpler terns, always an ideal, proves especially useful when applied to the problem of Apollonius. Pecause circles and points have a simple geometric reletion, the problem of constructing 2 cirele tangent to three others reduces ‘easily to the case of finding a circle tangent. to only one circle, but also passing through two given points, Of course, the reduction is more complicated than merely replac- ing a circle by the point. st its center, but the solution to the problem of Apollonius does follow from straightforward aprlication of elementary foonetric principles,LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1, The Hight Solutions to the Problem of Apollonius. Figure 2, Solution to the One Circle-Iwo Point Problem, Figure 3, The Radice] Axis of Tangent Circles, Figure 4, Construction for the Radical Centor. Figure 5. Solution to the Two Circle.One Point Problem. Figure 6, Triangles Involving Points of Tangency. Figure 7. The Homothetic Genter. Figure 8, Construction for Point Q. Figure 9, Solutions 1 and 2, r3 Subtracted, Figure 10, Solutions 3 and 4, rp Added. Figure 11, Solutions 5 and 6, ry Added, Figure 12, Solutions 7 and 8, ry Added. Figure 13. Construction for Solutions 3 and 4,Figure 1, The Eight Solutions to the Problem of Apollonius,A SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM OF APOLLONIUS ANTRODUCTION Tk As Aronie that the selence of geonatry is better known for its inability to solve cortain elonentery problens, trisecting an angle, squaring the clrele, than for its poor to solve reletively difficult ones. A noteworthy succoss of geometry has cone in tho solution to the problem of Apollonius, thet of constructing @ oirele tangent to three piven oireles using only a compass and straight-edre. Since the tine the problen was first put forth by Apollonius about 2709 years aR0; At has continually fascineted geoneters with the result that approximstiey 4)* 70 different. solutions are known today, ‘The particular solution denon- strated here derives from Apollonius himself, and correspondingly, the approach to the problem displays a classical simplicity. Because the problen of constructing @ cirele tangent to thres others does not yield tmnodistely to elenentary coonstric analysis, it ie reduced to the simpler problem of constructing @ circle tangent to two circles and passing through a fixed point, This simplified problem is still. too Aiftieult for direct solution, so it too 1s reduced, now to the exe of finding a etrele tangent to one circle and passing through two tixed points, Working backwards, solving the simplest problem first and building upon the result, the complete solution to the problem of Apollonius follows at once, then the three given circles are mutuslly external, the only case considered here, there are eight different circles, shown red in "igure 1, all tangent to the given threo,Figure 2, Solution to the One Cirele-Two Point Problem,IT, DEVELOPMENT OF THR SOLUTION Qne Cire}, As a proliminary to tho complete solution, a construction for a circle tangent to one cirele and passing through two fixed points must be found, ‘To do this, sone concepts beyond high school plane geometry are necessary and these will be developed when required. ‘The proofs of theorems and constructions normally found in a high school geometry course will be assuned in order to shorten tho discus- sion, The material presented in this paper appears in extended forn sonttered over 150 pages of College Geometry by Maus (1). Suseyors has been nctso mch original as it, has been condensation of known proofs, reexpressing them in a more unified ondet and in slightly more olonontary terns, ‘Two other references which proved helpful in the subsequent derivations were College Geonstry ty Altshiler-Court (2), and Modern College Geometry by Davis (3). 1. Some Observetions, Turning to the one circle-tuo point problem, let us first consider the problem already solved ond therefrom determine various properties of the solution, igure 2 shows a circle tangent to another end passing through two points, In fact, we see thet if oy 1s the given circle (captial stands for the conter of a circle and small o for the cirele itself), and Py ant P, ere the fixed points, then there are tno different ciroles, c, and cs, which satisfy the problem, Of course, 1€ cy separates Py from P,, then there oxists no solution, tut the criterion for the problem of Apollonivs that the three given circles sre mutually external prohibits this unusue) case from occurring. Examininy Figure 2, we notice that the common tangent of circles oFigure 3, The Radical Axis of Tangent Circles,and op, indicated by line ty, seems to mect lino tz, the comon tangent of eiroles c1 ond cg, ina point R which is on line PyPp, This ds our clue to the solution, and detailed investigation of point R follons. 0 prove that the three lines mentioned actually do meet in a point, sone properties of these lines must te determined. For ease of discussion, Figure 2 has been partially redrawn in Figure 3 to emphasize Lino ty. The line of centers of circles oj and ep cuts the etreles at 1, the point of tongeney, and the common tangent t, is perpendicular to line G10, at Ty, From elementary geometry we see that the tangents PA, PT, and PS from any point P on the common tangent are equal, Recall that tangent to a circle from a point 41s the mean proportional between a secant to the circle from the same point and the external segnent of thot secant. Thus, since PED ond PEF are secants, PE x PF = Fo, PAZ © PB x PD = PTY” 2. Power and the Radical Axis. For convenience we define the power = of a point with respect to @ otrole as the product of a secent to the circle from that roint and the external segment of the secant. In igure 3, line ty 18 the locus of points which have equal powers with respect to circles as shown by the equation above oy and opf and is callad the radical axis of the olvcles, Sinslarily, 4n Figure 2, line ty 4s the radical axis of circles o, and on, and Line PP, is the radical axis ctreles ep and es. Me note here that the radical axis of any two intersecting circles is their common chord extended(for radical exis further definitions of the/"and other terns, see the GICSSARY), Again in igure 2, line PyP, mocts line ty in @ point whose power with respect to aN three cirelos ef, cp, and ey 1s equal, kewise line P,P, intersects ty in a point with equal povers to all three circles, If these two points of intersection are not the same,a contradiction occurs, and therefore,Figure 4. Construction for the Radical Center,the three Lines intersect in @ unique point, called the radical center of the three circles, How that we know that lines PyPo, ty, and t, intersect in a point R, 8 moans of Cinding circles op and o, from points Py and F, ond ofrele 04 appears. hen by some mathod point R has been determined, the roints of tangency Ty ond Tp can be easily constructed. Thon lino: cy7y is the Line of centers of circles oy and cy, and line Cy is the Line of centers of c and og. Tho conters of circles op and cy will then be the intersee- tone of lines 617% and ;7, with the perpendicular bisector of line PyP2. 3. Finding the Radieal Genter. Onco the radical center, R, of circles 04, 02, and 3 has been found, the solution to the one circle two point problem will be complete, Towards finding R, we notice thet Line PLP2, which contains R, is the radical axis of any two cirele passing through Py and Fy as well as of cy and c3. Suppose a circle o, passes through Py and F, and also intersects oj at A and Bas shown in Figure 4, Then the radical axis of o4 and c, ts line AB, uhich intersectsP,P, at RY. Tye point RI has equal powers with respect to cy and cy and also that sano Power with respect to ep and cy, since Line PyPpRt is the radical axis of all three circles ¢,, ¢3, and cy. Therefore R! is R, the radical conter of ey and the desired circles, c, and cy (points R and R' of 2 Figures 2 and 4 do superimpose). 4, The Solution, ‘The rather lengthy discussion above can now be condensed into a few steps which will provide the solution to the one oirole-two point problem, First, construct a circle passing through the piven points, Py and Pp, and intersecting the given circle. The center of this clrole will, of course, be on the rerpendicular bisector of line segment PyP2, Next, ind the intersection of PP, with the common chordFigure 5, Solution to the Two Circle-One Point Problem,of the two circles (as in Figure 4), From R, the point of intersection, construct tangents to the given circle, ‘The lines from the center of the given circle through the two points of tangency then meet the perpendicular bisector of Line PyP, at the conters of the two circles tengont to the given circle and passing through Py and Pp, shown in Figure 2, Thoss steps constitute the solution to the problem of Apollonius with tuo of the three circles reduced to points, ‘Two Cirele-One Point Problem. 1, Bxomining the Problon, hen only one of the three given circles 4s reduced to a point, the problem becones that of construction a eirele tangent to two given circlasand passing throuch one point. Again using the device of considering the solved problem as a means of developing a construction, the solution appears in Figure 5. Circles 0, and c, are given along with point P, Tongent to both o, and cy aro the oireles c and cys which also pass through P, Unless the special case arises where Gy and oy are tangent at P, they intersect each other at 9 point Q a8 well as P, If the point Q were somehow known, then circles passinr through P ond Qand tangent to either 04 or o,,Kould satisfy the conditions of the -two eivele-one point problem, Once Q has been found, the problen reduces to the one circle-two point ease, whose solution 4s now known, 2, Quantitative Observations, In’ Figure 5, the points of tangeney of the various ctroles are 7}, Ty, Ty, and Ty, and we notice that lines FQ, Tyt2, ond TyTy al2 appear to mect Line C102 at the point 0, This ts the lead which shortly provides the solution, To prove that linesTy, and ‘Ty do intersect on line 0402, we mst. have some quantitative information about these lines, ‘The red lines in Figure 5 connect the points of(a) Ce) Figure 6, Triangles Involving Points of Tangency.tangency with the conters of the circles, using the theorem fron elenen- tary geometry that if two circles are tangent, the line of centers of the circles passes through the point of tangeney. Yor convenience, tho Pertinent lines sppoor in Tigure 64 those Involving cireles oj, ¢,, and 6, in 6a, ond thove involving ey, cy, and oy in 6b, Considering frat Figure 6a, we see thet triangle CT; Tp 4s isosceles as CyTy = C3Ty = ry, the radius of eirele 0. Tkevise C7, equals ry, radius of ey, and CaM equals rp, radius of ¢, Idne TyT2 meets Line CyCp at 0', the point under investigation, If line GA is drawn parallel to TyT20", then TN = Typ = rp because TyTy0ph 1s an isosceles trapezoid. By the lew of similar triangles, here applied to triangles OyC2A and 00"), we have OyTyLAT, = 0'0,/0'C2, or substituting for G1% and AT,, ry/rq = O'C4/O'C, = (O'Cy + C4C2)/O1C, = 1 + CyCp/0'CD. Simslarlly 4m igure 6, since BO, Ae parallel to 1,1,0", 3 14/2 = O"C,/O%C2 = (ONC, + C4C2)/O"Cg = 1 + 0402/0". Rquating these two expressions for ry/rp, we have 1+ Gj,/01c, = 1+ CyC2/OC, or O'C2 = 0! ot Thus points 0! and O" coincide, and lines 7j'12 and 47, moot G12 oxtended at 9 point. 0 such that 004/¢0, = ry/tp. 3. The Homothetic Center. The point O which divides the line of centers of any two circles in the ratio of their radii is called the honothetic center of those circles, Actually two points wil) satisfy this condition, one between the centers of the circles, the internal homothetic center, and another, named the external howothetic center, outside the centers, but; ,of course, on the line of centers. ‘The point 0 of Figure 5 4s the extornal honothetic conter of circles o4 and 02,Figure 7, ‘The Honothetic Center,because 004/00, = ry/1y, We have seen how the lines Joining the points of tangency of circles 03 and ¢, to cy and cy pass through’. the external. homothetic center of oy and cp, We can ask, are there circles passing through P tangent to o, and cg such that the lines containing the points of tangency pass through the internal homothetic center? ‘The answer 1s that two such circles exist,. tho only other solutions to the two circlo~ one point problem, but their nature will not concern us here. 4, Homothetic Contor and Radical Axis, Before we can prove that, Line PQ of Figure 5 passes through 0, some more properties of the honothetic center must be developed. Th fact, since PQ is the radical 2 to 073 x OT. That is, the rovers of O with respect to cy and o, must axis of etreles e, and ¢, 1f 0 19 on PQ, then OT; x OT, mst te eausl be enual for 0 to be on the radical axis, gure 7 reproduces that part of Figure 5 which concerns proving 0 1s on PQ, Tine ARDEO 4s any line from 0 which cuts circles cy and cy, Reeslling that 00,/0C, = ry/rz, and notheing that CyB = ry and O28 = rp, we have triangle 00,8 similar to triongle 0028, Therefore, 08/08 = ry/ry, Likewise triangle O0,A is similar to OCoD, and OA/OD = ry lee. ‘The property of the homothetic conter thet, engle 001B equals angle 00,8 provides a construction for 0 given only circles oj and cy, As a corallary, the Line tangent externally to o, and ¢, also passes through 0. 2 Returning to the calculations, we seo that the relation oa/ok = on/on = x,/x holds for ary Tne through 0 which outs ©) end ey. Therefore, it is useful to write OB/ OA/OD = r, where w is a constant depending only on circles ¢, and e,. Fy the theorem Involving secants aeratind, mentioned above, OD x OB =r, for all lines OSD, (wowew ranean)Figure 8, Construction for Point @.He can now write Of = k/oM and OR = OB/r, Thorefore k/OD = OR/r, or 0B x OD = kr, From the equation 08/0® = OA/ON, we get OB x OD = OA x OB = kr for all linesOA, For some position of OA, points B end D coincide with Ty and Tp of Pigure 5. Therefore, OT, x OT, = kr, At some other position of OA, points A ond B coincide with 7 and Ty, so that OT x Oly = kr. Thus Oy x OT, = OT; x Oy, Nhkch proves that O 1s on PQ, the radical axis of circles 03 and cys 5. Reduction to the One Circle-Two Point Problem, We sre now very close to the solution of the two circle.one point problem, which means determining point Q, end using the one circle-two point construction to find ey ond ey. Tn Figure 7% 09 x OD = kr for all Lines ON, including the line of conters O0Agh1, where Ay and Az are the intersectiow of circles eg and eg with Line O¢cq, Then OA, x Oh, = kr = OT; x OT. Sinoo OFA and OT) are secants from 0 to c,, OT, x OT, = OP x 02, and therefore OP x 0 = OA, x Oly, Migure $ demonstrates the usefulness of this result. ‘Triangle O1yP is similar to triangle 02 because they share a comion vertex engle and have sides in proportion, given ty OA,/OP = 09/0A5. Therefore angle OPA, equals engle 0h2Q. ‘This property deterwines tho point Q given only cy and ep ond P, With Q thus known, application of the one circlestwo point construction immediately yields circles ¢3 and oy. 6. A Construction. After a1 the effort which has gone into the proof of the solution to the two circle-one point problem, the construction can be sumarized very briefly, ‘First find the external homothetic center of the given cireles o, and e, by constructing paral le) radii and connecting the ond points, The intersection of this line with the Line. of centers 0,0, determines the external homothetic center 0 as in Figure 7. Noxt draw lines OP and AyP as in Figure 8, Construct angle e "1Figure 9, Solutions 1 and 2, 7, Subtracted,OA,@ equal to angle OPAy, fixing point 2 on lino OP. Thon use the one circle-tuo point construction with points P and Q and either elrele 24 or c, to find the tuo circles tangent to c4 and cp, and passing through P. Again, "gure 5 shows the complete solution to tho two circle- ‘one point problen. ‘The above method works oven when cirele c; intersects G5, 2 case which may arise in the course of the solution to the problen of Apollonius. ¢, Three Circle Problem, 1. Four Pairs of Solutions, We now have enough’ information and techniques of construction to attack the problem of Apollonius itself. Again we shall assume that the threo given circles are mutually external, ALL eight possible solutions appear in Figure 1, but they cannot be analyzed easily with so many in ono drawing. Inspection of the figure, however, reveals that the eight solution naturally group into four pairs, shown ini Figures 9 through 12, totice how the to solutions of each rair are the converses of one another. For example, in Figure 10, black ctrole 3 contains only ep, while 9, contains oy and cs. A similar statement holds for the other three pairs of solutions, 2. Reduction of cy. The three circle problem consists of exan- Aning the solutions to the problem of Apollonius to find a way in which one circle may be reduced to a point, so that the known solution to the two eirele-one point problem can be applied. Consider first Figure 9, Te the rediua of alrele oy 1s subtracted from each of the throa given aireles oj, op and oy, circle 0, becoses a point /. the circles with centers at 0) and C, become the red circles with appropriate radii.Figure 10, Solutions 3 and 4, r, Added,Figure i1, Solutions 5 and 6, ry Added.Tho to red circles which are tongont to the reduced circles o, and o, and passing through G, have their centers at points $, and S,, the 3 contere of the black solution circles. Tho radius of red circle 9; 4s greator than that of the black 5; by an amount equal to the radius of e3+ Tho red 8, 48, however, loss than black 8, by the radius of ¢3, which occurs because s, is the converse of sy, A solution to the three circle problon follows imsediately from the above method of reduction, To find solutions s; and sy simply subtract tho radius of e, from cy and ez. and then find the centers of the two circles tangent to the reduced otroles 4 and op and passing through Cy, by the two cirele-one point, construction. The centers of these two circles are also the centers of solutions 8, and 5. 3. Reduction of ep. Tn an effort to generalize the above solution to the three circle problem, we might surmise that in Figure 19, say, subtraction of the radius of e, from eireles ey and e, would lead to solutions 9, end sy, If this were done, however, the new circle o, would have a negative radius, which is a geometric impossibility, Instead, we notice that if circle ¢, 4s reduced to a point and its radius added to that of e, ond 03, circles with eontors at S and S,, ave tangent to the red circles cy ond cz while passing through C,. Red e intersects red c,, but without affecting the validity of the reduction, Application of the tWo-circle-one point construction will directly produce. points 53 and S}, once the reduction doseribed sbove has been made. 4, two More Reductions, Similarily, Meure 11 shows how solutions Ss and Sg may be found by reducing ctrele e, to a point and adding its radius to op ond 63, The last two solutions aprear when oirole 0, 38Figure 12, Solutions 7 and 8, 13 Added,reduced to a point, while this tine adding the radius of circle c; to 4 and cp, as shown in Figure 12, Now that these reductions of the three circle problem to the two circle-one point problem have been found, the problem of Apollonius is essentially solved. IIT, WE UNIFIED SOLUTION A, First Steps. After considerable effort, we have developed all the necessary constructions for solving the problem of Apollonius. These derivations appear perhaps complicated enough that It 1s difficult to separate the actual construction fron the proof, Thorefore @ summary of the steps Anvolved in solving the problem 4s in order, Obviously,we must work in reverse order from the Way the constructions developed. ‘The first step is to reduce the system of three given circles to an equivalent system of two circle and a point, This may be done in four ways, and all four ways mst be used to get the eight possible cirlees tangent to the given three, One method of reduction is to subtract the radius of the smallest cirole from the two largor ones, and reduce the smallest cirele to the point at its center. The other threo methods consist of redveing/osch of ‘the three given circles to its central point and adding to the radius of the other two cirelos the radius of the cirele which is reduced, AL1 four of these methods lead to a system of two circles and one point. ‘The centers of the two circles which are tangent to the two reduced cireles and passing through the center of the third circle are also the centers of the sought for solution circles. Figure 13 i?ustrates this and the following steps where cp is reduced to a point, and itsradius added to circles o; snd 05, producing etreles e! and cs! B. Eurther Reducts. Now that one cirele has been reduced to a point, the two circle-one point construction may be applied. find the homothetde center 0 of the two vedueed circles, o,' ond es! An Figure 13, by first constructing parallel radii in the two circles. Point 0 1s then the intersection of the line through the ond points of the two radii with the line of centers of the two circles. Note that 0 is not the homothetic conter of circles oy and cg. Next, draw the Tina from 0 to the contor of the circle which has been reduced to a point, that is, 0,, Deatgnating the pointsof intersection of circles oy! and ¢,! with line 0,03 points A and B, construct angle ORY equal to angle OC,A with point Q on line O¢,. The tno civelos essing through Cp and Q and tangent, to oj! will also be tengont to os, snd conversely, Thus the problem has been reduced to the one circle-to point case, G eting the Solution. ie can choose either ctrete e,! or oq! to use with points Cp and in order to Mnd the required tangont circlos, Tet us use ¢,' because At Le larger thane,', ard constructiousth larger figures aro gonorally more accurate, Construct the perpendicular bisector of line segment 62, shown An ved, and then pick some point on the bisector as the center of a circle passing through C, end Q while also intersecting circle ¢,* in two points. The common chord of this arbitrary circle and cirele oy! meets line 00, at a point R. Construct the two tangent lines from R to o,', ond draw the ines from the two points of tangenoy through Cy.Those two lines nect the Ferpondicular bisector of QC, at S3 and S,, tho conters of the circles tangent to ¢,' and passing through Q and Cy, The contors of the two cireles tangent. to ey, 6, and es are also points $3 and $,, Merely dvaw circles with appropriate radil from 53 and §, to complete the solution, Only two of the eight solutions to the problem of Apollonius have beon thus found, but the othor six ean be determined by an oxactly similar method, except that cirelese, ond ¢, are reduced to points instead of cy. Although thie construction 1 theoretically accurate, in practice At is seldon very exact, Many shorter, and, therefore, practically wore accurate constructions are known, but the one presented hore is note- worthy for its straightforward motivation of reducing @ complex problem to a simpler one. This solution to the problem of Apollonius demonstrates how the effective use of such basic peometriec tools as reduction can solve advanced problems.REFERENCES. 1, Foul Daus, College Geonotry (New York: Prentice-Hall Ine., 19!4). 2, Wathan Altshiller-Court, College Geonetry (Ichmond, Virginia: Johnson Publishing Co., 1925). 3. David Davis, Modern College Geometry (Cambridge, Mass.: Addison-Wesley Press Inc., 1989).GLOSSARY Homothetic Contor, The two homothetic centers of a pair of circles are those points which divide the line of centers internally and externally 4n tho ratio of the radii of the olroles, We are concerned only with the external honothetic contor (soo Figure 7). Power, The poxer of a point with respect to a circle 1s the product of a secant to the circle fron the point and the external segment of that secant, When in the limiting case the secant becomes tho tangent, the nunerical value of the power of the point 1s easily sean to be the square of the length of the tangent, Of course, the power of a point is the same for all secants and tangents to the seme circlen(geo Figure 3). Brom Thee pois® Radical Axis, The radical axis of two'circles is that line such that any point on it hes equol powers with respect to both circles. As a corallary, the tangents from any point of the radical axis to both circles are equal. Thus when the two circles are tangent, the radical axis 1s the common tangent (see Figure 3). If the two circles intersect, tho line Joining the points of intersection, the conmon chord, is the radical axis (seo Figure 4). Tf the two circlesdo not intersect or touch, their radical axis stil] exists and 1s perpendicular to the line of centers. Radical Center, ‘The radical center of three circles is that unique point which has the same power with respect. to all three circles. It is deterwinod by the intersection of the radical axes of the circles taken in pairs (Figure 2), Secant, A secant 1s a line from a point to a circle which cuts the circle An two points, Its length 4s considered to be the distance from the exterior point to the further of the two points of intersection, Tts external segment is that distance from the exterior point to the nearer point of intersection (Figure 3).