Fuhrmann triangle

Special triangle based on arbitrary triangle
Fuhrmann triangle (red): M c M b M a {\displaystyle \triangle M_{c}^{\prime }M_{b}^{\prime }M_{a}^{\prime }}
mid arc points: M a , M b , M c {\displaystyle M_{a},M_{b},M_{c}}
Fuhrmann triangle (red): M c M b M a {\displaystyle \triangle M_{c}^{\prime }M_{b}^{\prime }M_{a}^{\prime }}
M c M b M a M a M b M c {\displaystyle \triangle M_{c}^{\prime }M_{b}^{\prime }M_{a}^{\prime }\sim \triangle M_{a}M_{b}M_{c}}

The Fuhrmann triangle, named after Wilhelm Fuhrmann (1833–1904), is special triangle based on a given arbitrary triangle.

For a given triangle A B C {\displaystyle \triangle ABC} and its circumcircle the midpoints of the arcs over triangle sides are denoted by M a , M b , M c {\displaystyle M_{a},M_{b},M_{c}} . Those midpoints get reflected at the associated triangle sides yielding the points M a , M b , M c {\displaystyle M_{a}^{\prime },M_{b}^{\prime },M_{c}^{\prime }} , which forms the Fuhrmann triangle.[1][2]

The circumcircle of Fuhrmann triangle is the Fuhrmann circle. Furthermore the Furhmann triangle is similar to the triangle formed by the mid arc points, that is M c M b M a M a M b M c {\displaystyle \triangle M_{c}^{\prime }M_{b}^{\prime }M_{a}^{\prime }\sim \triangle M_{a}M_{b}M_{c}} .[1] For the area of the Fuhrmann triangle the following formula holds:[3]

| M c M b M a | = ( a + b + c ) | O I | 2 4 R = ( a + b + c ) ( R 2 r ) 4 {\displaystyle |\triangle M_{c}^{\prime }M_{b}^{\prime }M_{a}^{\prime }|={\frac {(a+b+c)|OI|^{2}}{4R}}={\frac {(a+b+c)(R-2r)}{4}}}

Where O {\displaystyle O} denotes the circumcenter of the given triangle A B C {\displaystyle \triangle ABC} and R {\displaystyle R} its radius as well as I {\displaystyle I} denoting the incenter and r {\displaystyle r} its radius. Due to Euler's theorem one also has | O I | 2 = R ( R 2 r ) {\displaystyle |OI|^{2}=R(R-2r)} . The following equations hold for the sides of the Fuhrmann triangle:[3]

a = ( a + b + c ) ( a + b + c ) b c | O I | {\displaystyle a^{\prime }={\sqrt {\frac {(-a+b+c)(a+b+c)}{bc}}}|OI|}
b = ( a b + c ) ( a + b + c ) a c | O I | {\displaystyle b^{\prime }={\sqrt {\frac {(a-b+c)(a+b+c)}{ac}}}|OI|}
c = ( a + b c ) ( a + b + c ) a b | O I | {\displaystyle c^{\prime }={\sqrt {\frac {(a+b-c)(a+b+c)}{ab}}}|OI|}

Where a , b , c {\displaystyle a,b,c} denote the sides of the given triangle A B C {\displaystyle \triangle ABC} and a , b , c {\displaystyle a^{\prime },b^{\prime },c^{\prime }} the sides of the Fuhrmann triangle (see drawing).

References

  1. ^ a b Roger A. Johnson: Advanced Euclidean Geometry. Dover 2007, ISBN 978-0-486-46237-0, pp. 228–229, 300 (originally published 1929 with Houghton Mifflin Company (Boston) as Modern Geometry).
  2. ^ Ross Honsberger: Episodes in Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Euclidean Geometry. MAA, 1995, pp. 49-52
  3. ^ a b Weisstein, Eric W. "Fuhrmann triangle". MathWorld. (retrieved 2019-11-12)