This familiar triangle again!

Geometry Level 4

In A B C \triangle ABC , A D AD is one of its heights. The red, green and blue circles are the incircles of A B D \triangle ABD , A C D \triangle ACD and A B C \triangle ABC respectively. The radius of the blue circle is twice the radius of the red circle, while the radius of the green circle is 3 3 . Moreover, the length of A D AD is three times the radius of the blue circle.

Find the circumradius of A B C \triangle ABC .

Side note: The idea came after dissecting, rearranging and stretching @Fletcher Mattox 's figure in Red, Blue and Greenish .


The answer is 8.125.

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1 solution

Typically, I am using the dirty Trigonometry to solve this pure and beautiful Geometry problem. Then again, I'm a Chinese. And whether it is a white cat or black cat, so long as it catches mice, it is a good cat. Specifically, I am using the fact that the line joining a vertex of a triangle to its incenter bisects the vertex angle.

Let the radius of the red circle be r r , then the radius of the blue circle is 2 r 2r and A D = 6 r AD = 6r . Let B A D = α \angle BAD = \alpha . Consider the red circle and A D AD :

r cot α 2 + r = A D = 6 r cot α 2 + 1 = 6 tan α 2 = 1 5 tan α = 2 1 5 1 1 25 = 5 12 B D = 2.5 r , A B = 6.5 r \begin{aligned} r \cot \frac \alpha 2 + r & = AD = 6r \\ \cot \frac \alpha 2 + 1 & = 6 \\ \implies \tan \frac \alpha 2 & = \frac 15 \\ \tan \alpha & = \frac {2\cdot \frac 15}{1-\frac 1{25}} = \frac 5{12} & \small \blue{\implies BD = 2.5r, \ AB = 6.5r} \end{aligned}

Similarly, for the green circle and A D AD :

3 cot β 2 + 3 = 6 r tan β 2 = 1 2 r 1 \begin{aligned} 3 \cot \frac \beta 2 + 3 & = 6r \\ \tan \frac \beta 2 & = \frac 1{2r-1} \end{aligned}

The blue circle and A B AB :

2 r cot α + β 2 + 2 r cot 9 0 α 2 = 6.5 r 4 1 1 5 ( 2 r 1 ) 1 5 + 1 2 r 1 + 4 1 + 1 5 1 1 5 = 13 20 r 12 r + 2 + 6 = 13 20 r 12 = 7 r + 14 r = 2 tan β 2 = 1 3 , tan β = 3 4 , D C = 9 \begin{aligned} 2r \cot \frac {\alpha+\beta}2 + 2r \cot \frac {90^\circ - \alpha}2 & = 6.5 r \\ 4 \cdot \frac {1 - \frac 1{5(2r-1)}}{\frac 15 + \frac 1{2r-1}} + 4 \cdot \frac {1+\frac 15}{1-\frac 15} & = 13 \\ \frac {20r-12}{r+2} + 6 & = 13 \\ 20r - 12 & = 7r+14 \\ \implies r & = 2 & \small \blue{\implies \tan \frac \beta 2 = \frac 13, \ \tan \beta = \frac 34, \ DC = 9} \end{aligned}

Then the circumradius R R of A B C \triangle ABC is given by:

2 R = B C sin B A C = 5 + 9 sin ( α + β ) = 14 65 56 R = 65 8 = 8.125 \begin{aligned} 2R & = \frac {BC}{\sin \angle BAC} = \frac {5+9}{\sin (\alpha + \beta)} = \frac {14 \cdot 65}{56} \\ \implies R & = \frac {65}8 = \boxed{8.125} \end{aligned}

That was a good cat indeed! Thanks for posting.

Thanos Petropoulos - 1 month, 1 week ago

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Is the cat dead or alive? Oh wait, that's for a different problem...

David Vreken - 1 month, 1 week ago

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Hahaha! 哈哈哈!I was talking about a Chinese cat, ist nicht deutsch.

Chew-Seong Cheong - 1 month, 1 week ago

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