What is the maximum number of rational points that can lie on a circle in whose center is not a rational point? (A \emph{rational point} is a point both of whose coordinates are rational numbers.)
Solution
There are at most two such points. For example,
the points and lie on a circle with center
for any real number , not necessarily rational.
On the other hand, suppose
are three rational points that lie
on a circle. The midpoint of the side is
, which is again rational. Moreover, the slope
of the line is , so the slope of the line through
perpendicular to is , which is rational or infinite.
Similarly, if is the midpoint of , then is a rational point
and the line through perpendicular to has rational slope.
The center of the circle lies on both of these lines, so its
coordinates satisfy two linear equations with rational
coefficients, say and . Moreover,
these equations have a unique solution. That solution must then be
\begin{align*}
g &= (CE - BD)/(AE - BD) \\
h &= (AF - BC)/(AE - BD)
\end{align*}
(by elementary algebra, or Cramer's rule),
so the center of the circle is rational. This proves the desired result.