Let be a triangle, and let denote its inradius. Let denote the radius of the circle internally tangent at to the circle and tangent to the line ; the radii and are defined similarly. Show that .
Solutions — 2
Solution 1
Let , and denote the length of the side , the length of the altitude from in the triangle , and the area of the triangle , respectively. Consider the circle internally tangent at to the circle and tangent at to the line . Then , and equality holds throughout if and only if the triangle is isosceles with apex at . Similar inequalities hold for and , and the conclusion follows at once; equality holds if and only if the triangle is equilateral.
Solution 2
In the notation in Solution 1, we shall prove that . Similar formulae hold for and , and the conclusion follows at once; equality holds if and only if the triangle is equilateral.
To prove the above formula for , let be the orthogonal projection of on the line , let be the circumcentre of the triangle , and let be the centre of the circle tangent at to the circle and tangent at to the line . Since the points , and are collinear, the angle is congruent to the absolute value of the difference of the internal angles of the triangle at and , so , whence the desired formula.