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Fermat's Problem For Torricelli

This document discusses Fermat's problem of finding the point within a triangle whose sum of distances to the vertices is minimized. It provides two theorems on the solution: 1. If all angles of the triangle are less than 120 degrees, the minimizing point is the interior point where the angles opposite each vertex are all 120 degrees. 2. If one angle is 120 degrees or more, the minimizing point is the vertex opposite that angle. It then proves these theorems using properties of equilateral triangles and trigonometric identities.

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Dương Minh Đức
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93 views5 pages

Fermat's Problem For Torricelli

This document discusses Fermat's problem of finding the point within a triangle whose sum of distances to the vertices is minimized. It provides two theorems on the solution: 1. If all angles of the triangle are less than 120 degrees, the minimizing point is the interior point where the angles opposite each vertex are all 120 degrees. 2. If one angle is 120 degrees or more, the minimizing point is the vertex opposite that angle. It then proves these theorems using properties of equilateral triangles and trigonometric identities.

Uploaded by

Dương Minh Đức
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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91.

Fermats Problem for Torricelli


Find the point the sum of whose distances from the vertices of a given triangle is
a mininum.
This famous problem was proposed by the French mathematician Fermat (1601-1665)
to the Italian physicist Torricelli (1608-1647), the famous student of Galileo. Torricelli solved
it in several ways.
The answer is
Theorem
1.

2.

If all angles in dABC are less than 120 ( , the point O that minimizes the sum
of its distances from vertices A, B, C is the that point inside dABC at which
0AOB  0BOC  0COA  120 ( .
If some angle of dABC is 120 ( or more, say the angle at C, then O  C.
C
C
O
A

B
m AC B = 123.34

The simplest solution uses


Vivianis Theorem: In an equilateral triangle, the sum of the three distances of a point
from the sides has a value independent of the position of the point. This value is the
altiltude of the triangle. (Viviani (1622-1703), an Italian mathematician and physicist,
was a student of Galileo and Torricelli.)
Proof. The distance of a point from a side is positive when the point and the triangle lie in
the same half plane of the side. Let dPQR be the equilateral triangle with side g,
altitude h and area J. If x, y, z are the (signed) distances of an arbitrary point O from
(lines) QR, RP, PQ resepectively,

x
O

R
y

x>0, y<0, z>0


z

then upon recognizing dPQR as odOQR o dORP o dOPQ, we get


J  12 gx  12 gy  12 gz and thus 2Jg  x  y  z, but J  12 gh, so x  y  z  h as
R
asserted.
Note If we use undirected (positive) distances, then x  y  z  h for O inside (or on the
boundary of) dPQR, and x  y  z  h for O outside dPQR.
Proof of the Theorem Let dABC be any triangle.
1.

If all angles are less than 120 ( , let O be the point inside dABC at which
0AOB  0BOC  0COA  120 ( . (See the notes at the end for several
ways to construct this point.) The three lines perpendicular to OA, OB and
OC form an equilateral triangle dPQR :
P
C
Q
O

(since for instance in quadrilateral OARB, 120 (  90 (  0R  90 (  360 ( and


0R  60 ( ). Now let O U be any other point and O U A U QR, O U B U RP,
O U C U PQ with A U , B U , C U on lines QR, RP, PQ respectively.

C'
C
O'

B'
O

A
A'

Then A U O U t AO U , B U O U t BO U , C U O U t CO U and equality does not hold in all


three. Then A U O U  B U O U  C U O U  AO U  BO U  CO U . By Vivianis Theorem,
AO  BO  CO  A U O U  B U O U  C U O U for O U inside dPQR and
AO  BO  CO  A U O U  B U O U  C U O U for O U outside dPQR (using
non-negative distances). Thus AO  BO  CO  AO U  BO U  CO U , and O is
the point at which AO  BO  CO is smallest.
2.

In this case, we have to show that AC  BC  AU  BU  CU for any point


U p C. Let 0ACB  + u 120 ( , 0ACU  2 and 0BCU  I. Then
2  I  +, 2 " I  +, 2  I  360 ( " + or I " 2  + depending on where U is:

+ =360o -

-=

-=

U
+ =

Let F and G be base points of the perpendiculars from U to AC and BC, at


distances x and y from C respectively.

+=360o-

-=
F

-=

G
B

U
+=

x  CU cos 2 and y  CU cos I, so x or y is treated as a negative number if


cos 2  0 or cos I  0. In all cases, however, we have
AC  AF  x and BC  BG  y.
(Note that AF might be negative, if for example A is between F and C.
Thus we have
AC  BC  AF  BG  x  y.
Now
x  y  CU cos 2  CU cos I

 CUcos 2  cos I
 2  CU  cos 22I cos
2I

2"I

I"2

2I

2"I
2

.
+

Since 2  2 , 2  2 , 2  2 , or 2  180 ( " 2 and + u 120 ( , one


of the cosines above less than 12 and thus x  y t CU. Hence it follows
that AC  BC t AF  GB  CU  AU  BU  CU (since dAUF and dBUG are
R
right triangles with hypotenuses AU and BU).
Note 1. Construct equilateral triangles dACD and dBCE outwardly on sides AC and BC of
dABC.

O
A

Let O  BD 9 AE. To show that O has the required properties, first of all notice that
quadrilaterals ABCD and ABEC are convex, and this implies that O is inside dABC.
Next dDCB S dACE (SAS), and rotation about C through 60 ( takes dDCB to dACE.
Since DB goes to AE, 0DOA  60 ( and 0DOE  120 ( . O goes to some point P on
AE with CP  CO, 0OCP  60 ( , and hence dCOP is equilateral, and 0COE  60 ( . It
follows that 0AOC  120 ( . Then 0BOC  120 ( too, and finally 0AOB  120 ( also.
Note 2. Each of the quadrilaterals AOCD and BOCE are cyclic quadrilaterals, since
opposite angles are supplementary, and it follows that O is the point of intersection
of the circumcircles of dACD and dBCE different from C, or
Note 3. O is also the intersection of the three circumcircles of equilateral triangles
constructed outwardly on the sides of dABC. (It does not seem easy though to use
this last characterization of O to explain why O lies inside dABC. )

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