2.

Equilateral Triangles

Recall the well-known theorem of van Schooten.

Theorem 1 If ABC is an equilateral triangle and M is a point on the arc BC of C(ABC) then |M A| = |M B| + |M C|. Proof (Figure 1) Use Ptolemy on the cyclic quadrilateral ABM C. Figure 1:

In fact, using the Ptolemy inequality for quadrilaterals, we get the following van Schooten inequality.

Theorem 2 Let ABC be an equilateral triangle. Then if M is any point in the plane of ABC we have |M A| |M B| + |M C|.

Pompeiu Triangle

We get the following well-known theorem of D. Pompeiu as an immediate consequence of the previous inequality. Theorem 3 Let M be any point in the plane of an equilateral triangle ABC. Then the distances |M A|, |M B| and |M C| can be the sidelengths of a triangle. 1

Proof

It follows immediately since |M A| |M B| + |M C|

The triangle is degenerate if M lies on the arc BC of the circumcircle C(ABC). A triangle with side lengths |M A|, |M B| and |M C| is called a Pompeiu triangle. When M is in the interior of ABC, then the pompeiu triangle can be explicitly constructed. Locate N so that the triangle BN M is equilateral. Now consider the triangles AM B and BN C, AB = BC, BM = BN M BA = 60 M BC = C BN .

We have and

Thus the triangles are similar, in fact CBN is got by rotating triangle ABM through 60 anti-clockwise in the diagram. Thus AM = CN, and so the triangle N M C has side lengths equal to |M A|, |M B| and |M C|. Thus N M C is the Pompeiu triangle.

Figure 2:

The measure of the angles of the Pompeiu triangle in terms of the angles subtended at M by the vertices of ABC and the area of the Pompeiu triangle are given by the following result of the distinguished Romanian born Sabin Tabirca

Theorem 4 (Tabirca) If ABC is an equilateral triangle, and M is an interior point of ABC, then the angles of the Pompeiu triangle and its area are as follows: (a) the 3 angles are the angles B M C 60 , C M A 60 and AM B 60 ; 2

(b) the area S (Pompeiu triangle) is 1 3 (area of ABC) |M O|2 , 3 4 where O is circumcentre of the triangle ABC. Proof (a) In the triangle N M C,

CM N

= CM B N M B = C M B 60 , = CN B M N B = C N M 60 and, nally, M CN

CN M

= AM B 60 , Figure 3: = = = = 180 {C M N + C N M } 180 {C M B 60 + AM B 60 } 300 {360 AM C} {AM C 60 }.

Notation: S(ABC).

The area of a triangle ABC is denoted by

(b) In the diagram, N M C is the Pompeiu triangle which we now denote by Tp . Then: S(Tp ) = = = = = where a = |BC| = |CA| = |AB|. 3 1 (|CM |.|M N |) sin(C M N ) 2 1 |CM |.|BM | sin(C M B 60 ) 2 1 1 3 |CM |.|BM |{sin(C M B). cos(C M B). } 2 2 2 1 3 |CM |.|BM | sin(C M B) |CM ||M B| cos(C M B) 4 4 1 3 S(CM B) {|CM |2 + |BM |2 a2 }, 2 8

 Thus S(Tp ) = S(CM B)

3 {|CM |2 + |BM |2 a2 }. 8

Similarly we can show that 1 3 S(Tp ) = S(CM A) {|CM |2 + |M A|2 a2 }, 2 8 1 3 and S(Tp ) = S(BM A) {|BM |2 + |M A|2 a2 }. 2 8 Adding, we get 3 1 3S(Tp ) = S(ABC) {2(|M A|2 + |M B|2 + |M C|2 ) 3a2 }. 2 8 Recall the Leibniz formula which states that for any triangle ABC with centroid G and point M 1 |M A|2 + |M B|2 + |M C|2 = 3|M G|2 + {|AB|2 + |BC|2 + |CA|2 } 3 In the case of an equilateral triangle, G = 0, the centre of the circumcircle and a2 = |AB|2 = |BC|2 = |CA|2 so |M A|2 +|M B|2 +|M C|2 = 3|M O|2 +a2 . Thus 1 3 3S(Tp ) = S(ABC) {6|M O|2 + 2a2 3a2 } 2 8 3 3 2 1 6|M O|2 + a. = S(ABC) 2 8 8 3 2 Since ABC is equilateral with side length a, S(ABC) = a , so 4 1 3 3 1 3S(Tp ) = S(ABC) |M O|2 + S(ABC) 2 4 2 3 3 = S(ABC) |M O|2 . 4 1 3 3 Thus S(Tp ) = S(ABC) |M O|2 , as required. 3 4 4

Fermat-Toricelli Point

Let ABC be any triangle and on each side construct externally three equilateral triangles ABC1 , BCA1 and CAB1 . Then we have the following theorem. Theorem 5 (a) The three circumcircles of the equilateral triangles intersect in a point T , i.e. C(ABC1 ) C(BCA1 ) C(CAB1 ) = {T }. (b) The lines AA1 , BB1 and CC1 are concurrent at T , i.e. AA1 BB1 CC1 = {T }. (c) |AA1 | = |BB1 | = |CC1 | = |T A| + |T B| + |T C|. (d) For all points M in the plane of ABC, |M A| + |M B| + |M C| |AA1 | = |T A| + |T B| + |T C|. i.e. the point T minimises the expression |M A| + |M B| + |M C|. The point T is called the Toricelli-Fermat point. Figure 4:

Proof (a) Let {A, T } be the intersection points of the circles C(ABC1 ) and C(ACB1 ). Then since C1 BT A is cyclic, AT B = 180 AC1 B = 120 . B1 AT C is cyclic, AT C = 180 AB1 C = 120 . BT C = 120 also. B T C + B A1 C = 180 . 5 Figure 5:

Because

Thus Thus

and so BA1 CT is cyclic, i.e. T C(A1 BC) (b) We claim that C1 , T, C are collinear points. AT C = 120 , AT C1 = ABC1 = 60

giving AT C + AT C1 = 180 , i.e. C, T and C1 are collinear. Similarly A, T, A1 and B, T, B1 are collinear. (c) We claim that |CC1 | = |T A| + |T B| + |T C|. Since T C(AC1 B) and AC1 B is equilateral, then by van Schootens theorem |T C1 | = |T A| + |T B|. Thus |CC1 | = |CT | + |T C1 | = |T C| + |T A| + |T B|, as required. Similarly for |AA1 | and |BB1 |. (d) Now let M be any point in the plane of ABC. Then, since ABC1 is equilateral: |M C1 | |M A| + |M B| Thus |M A| + |M B| + |M C| |M C| + |M C1 | |CC1 | = |T A| + |T B| + |T C|

So the point of a triangle which minimises the sum of the distances to the three vertices is the Toricelli-Fermat point. One could ask the question of weighted distances to the vertices and ask which point(s) minimise weighted sums. This is the question we now investigate.

Generalised Fermat-Toricelli Theorem Let x, y and z be the side length of a triangle with x the length of the side opposite vertex , y the length of the side opposite and z the length of the side opposite . On an arbitrary triangle ABC construct externally 3 triangles similar to with vertices positioned as indicated in Figure 6. (a) Then their circumcircles intersect at a point T1 , i.e. C(ABC1 ) C(BCA1 ) C(CAB1 ) = {T1 } (b) The lines AA1 , BB1 and CC1 are concurrent, i.e. AA1 BB1 CC1 = {T1 } (c) x|AA1 | = y|BB1 | = z|CC1 | = x|AT1 | = y|BT1 | = z|CT1 | Figure 6: (d) For any point M in the plane of ABC, x|M A| + y|M B| + z|M C| x|AA1 | = x|AT1 | + y|BT1 | + z|CT1 | Thus the point T1 minimises the weighted distances of a point to the vertices.

Proof The construction of the proof is similar to the proofs in the special case when x = y = z. (a) Let C(ABC1 ) C(ACB1 ) = {A, T1 }.

Figure 7:

Since

AT1 BC1 is cyclic, AT1 B = 180 , AT1 CB1 is cyclic, so AT1 C = 180 . B T1 C = 360 {AT1 B + AT1 C} = 360 {180 + 180 = 180 { + } = .

and

Thus

Thus T1 BA1 C is cyclic, i.e. T1 C(BA1 C), as required. (b) We claim that AT1 C1 + AT1 C = 180 and from this it follows that T1 lies on CC1 . In a similar way, we get that T1 also belongs to the line segments BB1 and AA1 . To show that AT1 C1 + AT1 C = 180 , we have, since, AT1 CB1 is cyclic, AT1 C = 180 . Also, AT1 C1 + ABC1 = 180 , as required. (c) Since the triangles A1 BC and are similar, then

|A1 B| z Thus and

|A1 C| |BC| = . y x

z |A1 B| = |BC| , x y |A1 C| = |BC| . x

Since T1 C(BCA1 ), then, by Ptolemy, Figure 8: 8

= |BT1 ||CA1 | + |CT1 ||BA1 | y z =|BT1 |.|BC| + |CT1 ||BC| x x Dividing across by |BC| and multiplying by x, we get x|T1 A1 | = y|BT1 | + z|CT1 |. Thus x|T1 A1 | + y|BT1 | + z|CT1 | = x|T1 A| + x|T1 A1 | = x|AA1 |.

|T1 A1 |.|BC|

Similarly, we can show that x|T1 A|+y|T1 B|+z|T1 C| = y|BB1 | = z|CC1 |

(d) Now take a point M C(BCA1 ). Then, by the Ptolemy inequality, |BM ||CA1 | + |CM |.|BA1 | > |M A1 ||BC| Proceeding as in (c) above, we get x|M A| + y|M B| + z|M C| > x|AA1 | = x|T1 A| + y|T1 B| + z|T1 C| as required. Remarks 1. Now suppose that the positive weights x, y and z are not the sides of a triangle, i.e. suppose xy+z What then is the point which minimises the quantity x|M A| + y|M B| + z|M C|? where M is any point in the plane of ABC. To decide this, consider

x|M A| + y|M B| + z|M C| y(|M A| + |M B|) + z(|M A| + |M C|), since x y + z y|AB| + z|AC| = x|AA| + y|AB| + z|AC| Thus the point A(vertex) minimises the quantity x|M A| + y|M B| + z|M C| 2. Suppose we take x = sin(B AC) = sin A, y = sin(ABC) = sin B, z = sin(B CA) = sin C, then the weighted expression sin(A)|M A| + sin(B)|M B| + sin(C)|M C| is minimised when M = O the centre of the circumcircle of ABC 3. If we take x = sin(A), y = sin(B) and z = sin(C), then sin(A)|M A| + sin(B)|M B| + sin(C)|M C| is minimised when M = H, the orhthocentre. A B C 4. If x = sin( ), y = sin( ) and z = sin( ) 2 2 2 then C A sin B sin( )|M A| + ( )|M B| + sin( )|M C| 2 2 2 is minimised when M = I, the incentre.

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