b

Forum Geometricorum
Volume 4 (2004) 81–84. b b

FORUM GEOM
ISSN 1534-1178

On the Intercepts of the OI-Line

Lev Emelyanov

Abstract. We prove a new property of the intercepts of the line joining the cir-
cumcenter and the incenter on the sidelines of a triangle.

Given a triangle ABC with circumcenter O and incenter I, consider the intouch
triangle XY Z. Let X
be the reflection of X in Y Z, and similarly define Y
and
Z
.
Theorem 1. The intersections of AX
with BC, BY
with CA, and CZ
with AB
are all on the line OI.

A
X

Y
B1
O
Z

C1
Y

B
A1 X C

Z

Figure 1.

Lemma 2. The orthocenter H
of the intouch triangle lies on the line OI.

Proof. Let I1 I2 I3 be the excentral triangle. The lines Y Z and I2 I3 are parallel
because both are perpendicular to AI. Similarly, ZX//I3 I1 and XY //I1 I2 . See
Figure 2. Hence, the excentral triangle and the intouch triangle are homothetic
and their Euler lines are parallel. Now, I and O are the orthocenter and nine-point
center of the excentral triangle. On the other hand, I is the circumcenter of the
intouch triangle. Therefore, the line OI is their common Euler line, contains the
orthocenter H
of XY Z.

Publication Date: June 8, 2004. Communicating Editor: Paul Yiu.
82 L. Emelyanov
I2

I3
Y
Z H

O
I

B X C

I1

Figure 2.

Proof of Theorem 1. To prove that the intersection point A1 of OI and AX
lies

A
X

Y
O
Z
I
H

B
A1 X A2 C

Figure 3.

It is known that
AI CA + AB sin B + sin C
= = .
IA2 BC sin A
For any acute triangle, AH = 2R cos A. The angles of the intouch triangle are
B+C C+A A+B
X= , Y = , Z= .
2 2 2
It is clear that triangle XY Z is always acute, and
B+C A
XH
= 2r cos X = 2r cos = 2r sin ,
2 2
where r is the inradius of triangle ABC.
On the intercepts of the OI-line 83

X
H
X
X − H
X X
X · Y Z
= = −1
H
X H
X H
X · Y Z
2 · area of XY Z
= −1
H
X · Y Z
2r 2 (sin 2X + sin 2Y + sin 2Z)
= −1
2r sin X · 2r cos X
sin 2Y + sin 2Z sin B + sin C
= = .
sin 2X sin A
This completes the proof of Theorem 1.

Similar results hold for the extouch triangle. In part it is in [1]. The following
corollaries are clear.
Corollary 3. The line joining A1 to the projection of X on Y Z passes through the
midpoint of the bisector of angle A.
Proof. In Figure 3, X
X is parallel to the bisector of angle A and its midpoint is
the projection of X on Y Z.

Corollary 4. The OI-line is parallel to BC if and only if the projection of X on
Y Z lies on the line joining the midpoints of AB and AC.
Corollary 5. Let XY Z be the tangential triangle of ABC, X
the reflection of X
in BC. If A1 is the intersection of the Euler line and XX
, then AA1 is tangent to
the circumcircle.

Z
H
O
B C

X
X

A1

Figure 4.
84 L. Emelyanov

References
[1] L. Emelyanov and T. Emelyanova, A note on the Schiffler point, Forum Geom., 3 (2003) 113–
116.

Lev Emelyanov: 18-31 Proyezjaia Street, Kaluga, Russia 248009