b

Forum Geometricorum
Volume 6 (2006) 191–197. b b
FORUM GEOM
ISSN 1534-1178

The Feuerbach Point and Euler lines

Bogdan Suceavă and Paul Yiu

Abstract. Given a triangle, we construct three triangles associated its incircle

whose Euler lines intersect on the Feuerbach point, the point of tangency of the
incircle and the nine-point circle. By studying a generalization, we show that the
Feuerbach point in the Euler reflection point of the intouch triangle, namely, the
intersection of the reflections of the line joining the circumcenter and incenter in
the sidelines of the intouch triangle.

1. A M ONTHLY problem
Consider a triangle ABC with incenter I, the incircle touching the sides BC,
CA, AB at D, E, F respectively. Let Y (respectively Z) be the intersection of
DF (respectively DE) and the line through A parallel to BC. If E
and F
are
the midpoints of DZ and DY , then the six points A, E, F , I, E
, F
are on the
same circle. This is Problem 10710 of the American Mathematical Monthly with
slightly different notations. See [3].
Y A Z

Ha

F
E

E
F

B D C

Figure 1. The triangle Ta and its orthocenter

Here is an alternative solution. The circle in question is indeed the nine-point

circle of triangle DY Z. In Figure 1, ∠AZE = ∠CDE = ∠CED = ∠AEZ.
Therefore AZ = AE. Similarly, AY = AF . It follows that AY = AF = AE =
AZ, and A is the midpoint of Y Z. The circle through A, E
, F
, the midpoints
of the sides of triangle DY Z, is the nine-point circle of the triangle. Now, since
AY = AZ = AE, the point E is the foot of the altitude on DZ. Similarly, F
Publication Date: June 4, 2006. Communicating Editor: Jean-Pierre Ehrmann.
The authors thank Jean-Pierre Ehrmann for his interesting remarks on the paper.
192 B. Suceavă and P. Yiu

is the foot of the altitude on DY , and these two points are on the same nine-point
circle. The intersection Ha = EY ∩ F Z is the orthocenter of triangle DY Z. Since
∠HaED = ∠Ha F D are right angles, Ha lies on the circle containing D, E, F ,
which is the incircle of triangle ABC, and has DHa as a diameter. It follows that
I, being the midpoint of the segment DHa , is also on the nine-point circle. At the
same time, note that Ha is the antipodal point of the D on the incircle of triangle
ABC.

2. The Feuerbach point on an Euler line

The center of the nine-point circle of DY Z is the midpoint M of IA. The line
M Ha is therefore the Euler line of triangle DY Z.
Theorem 1. The Euler line of triangle DY Z contains the Feuerbach point of tri-
angle ABC, the point of tangency of the incircle and the nine-point circle of the
latter triangle.
Proof. Let O, H, and N be respectively the circumcenter, orthocenter, and nine-
point center of triangle ABC. It is well known that N is the midpoint of OH.
Denote by  the Euler line M Ha of triangle DY Z. We show that the parallel
through N to the line IHa intersects  at a point N
such that N N
= R2 , where R
is the circumradius of triangle ABC.

O

Z A Y
N

Ha
E
M
F
H

E

F I
O I

H N
A
D

C
B D

Ia

Figure 2. The Euler line of Ta

The Feuerbach point and Euler lines 193

Clearly, the line HA is parallel to IHa . Since M is the midpoint of IA, AH

intersects  at a point H
such that AH
= Ha I = r, the inradius of triangle ABC.
See Figure 2. Let the line through O parallel to IHa intersect  at O
.
If A
is the midpoint of BC, it is well known that AH = 2 · OA
.
Consider the excircle (Ia ) on the side BC, with radius ra . The midpoint of IIa
is also the midpoint J of the arc BC of the circumcircle (not containing the vertex
A). Consider also the reflection I
of I in O, and the excircle (Ia ). It is well known
that I
Ia passes through the point of tangency D
of (Ia ) and BC. We first show
that JO
= ra :
JM Ia A 2ra
JO
= · IHa = ·r = · r = ra .
IM IA 2r
Since N is the midpoint of OH, and O that of II
, we have
2N N
=HH
+ OO

=(HA − H
A) + (JO
− R)
=2 · A
O − r + ra − R
=DI + D
I
+ ra − (R + r)
=r + (2R − ra ) + ra − (R + r)
=R.
This means that N
is a point on the nine-point circle of triangle ABC. Since N N

and IHa are directly parallel, the lines N
Ha and N I intersect at the external center
of similitude of the nine-point circle and the incircle. It is well known that the two
circles are tangent internally at the Feuerbach point Fe , which is their external
center of similitude. See Figure 3. 

Z A Y

N

Ha E
Fe

F
E

F I

C
B D A

Figure 3. The Euler line of Ta passes through the Feuerbach point

Remark. Since DHa is a diameter of the incircle, the Feuerbach point Fe is indeed
the pedal of D on the Euler line of triangle DY Z.
194 B. Suceavă and P. Yiu

Denote the triangle DY Z by Ta . Analogous to Ta , we can also construct the

triangles Tb and Tc (containing respectively E with a side parallel to CA and F
with a side parallel to AB). Theorem 1 also applies to these triangles.

Corollary 2. The Feuerbach point is the common point of the Euler lines of the
three triangles Ta , Tb , and Tc .

3. The excircle case

If, in the construction of Ta , we replace the incircle by the A-excircle (Ia ), we
obtain another triangle T
a . More precisely, if the excircle (Ia ) touches BC at D
,
and CA, AB at E
, F
respectively, T
a is the triangle DY Z bounded by the lines
D
E
, D
F
, and the parallel through A to BC. The method in §2 leads to the
following conclusions.

Z A Y
N

F


N Sc O E

A

C
B D

Fa E

Ma

F

Ia

Ha

Figure 4. The Euler line of T
a passes through Sc
= X442

The Feuerbach point and Euler lines 195

(1) The nine-point circle of T
a contains the excenter Ia and the points E
, F
;
its center is the midpoint Ma of the segment AIa .
(2) The orthocenter Ha
of T
a is the antipode of D
on the excircle (Ia ).
(3) The Euler line 
a of T
a contains the point N
.
See Figure 4. Therefore, 
a also contains the internal center of similitude of the
nine-point circle (N ) and the excircle (Ia ), which is the point of tangency Fa of
these two circles. K. L. Nguyen [2] has recently studied the line containing Fa and
Ma , and shown that
it is the image of the Euler line of triangle IBC under the
homothety h := h G, − 12 . The same is true for the two analogous triangles T
b
and T
c . Their Euler lines are the images of the Euler lines of ICA and IAB under
the same homothety. Recall that the Euler lines of triangles IBC, ICA, and IAB
intersect at a point on the Euler line, the Schiffler point Sc , which is the triangle
center X21 in [1]. From this we conclude that the Euler lines of T
a , T
b , T
c concur
at the image of Sc under the homothety h. This, again, is a point on the Euler line
of triangle ABC. It appears in [1] as the triangle center X442 .

4. A generalization
The concurrency of the Euler lines of Ta , Tb , Tc , can be paraphrased as the
perspectivity of the “midway triangle” of I with the triangle Ha Hb Hc . Here, Ha ,
Hb , Hc are the orthocenters of Ta , Tb , Tc respectively. They are the antipodes of
D, E, F on the incircle. More generally, every homothetic image of ABC in I is
perspective with Ha Hb Hc . This is clearly equivalent to the following theorem.
Theorem 3. Every homothetic image of ABC in I is perspective with the intouch
triangle DEF .
Proof. We work with homogeneous barycentric coordinates.
The image of ABC under the homothety h(I, t) has vertices
At =(a + t(b + c) : (1 − t)b : (1 − t)c),
Bt =((1 − t)a : b + t(c + a) : (1 − t)c),
Ct =((1 − t)a : (1 − t)b : c + t(a + b)).
On the other hand, the vertices of the intouch triangle are
D = (0 : s − c : s − b), E = (s − c : 0 : s − a), F = (s − b : s − a : 0).
The lines At D, Bt E, and Ct F have equations

(1 − t)(b − c)(s − a)x + (s − b)(a + (b + c)t)y − (s − c)(a + (b + c)t)z = 0,

−(s − a)(b + (c + a)t)x + (1 − t)(c − a)(s − b)y + (s − c)(b + (c + a)t)z = 0,
(s − a)(c + (a + b)t)x − (s − b)(c + (a + b)t)y + (1 − t)(a − b)(s − c)z = 0.

These three lines intersect at the point

 
(a + t(b + c))(b + c − a + 2at)
Pt = : ··· : ··· .
b+c−a

196 B. Suceavă and P. Yiu

Remark. More generally, for an arbitrary point P , every homothetic image of ABC
in P = (u : v : w) is perspective with the cevian triangle of the isotomic
 conjugate
1 1 1
of the superior of P , namely, the point v+w−u : w+u−v : u+v−w . With P = I,
we get the cevian triangle of the Gergonne point which is the intouch triangle.
Proposition 4. The perspector of At Bt Ct and Ha Hb Hc is the reflection of P−t in
the incenter.
It is clear that the perspector Pt traverses a conic Γ as t varies, since its coordi-
nates are quadratic functions of t. The conic Γ clearly contains I and the Gergonne
point, corresponding respectively to t = 0 and t = 1. Note also that D = Pt
a
for t = − b+c or − s−a
a . Therefore, Γ contains D, and similarly, E and F . It is a
cirumconic of the intouch triangle DEF . Now, as t = ∞, the line At D is parallel
to the bisector of angle A, and is therefore perpendicular to EF . Simiarly, Bt E
and Ct F are perpendicular to F D and DE respectively. The perspector P∞ is
therefore the orthocenter of triangle DEF , which is the triangle center X65 in [1].
It follows that Γ is a rectangular hyperbola. Since it contains also the circumcenter
I of DEF , Γ is indeed the Jerabek hyperbola of the intouch triangle. Its center is
the point
 
a(a2 (b + c) − 2a(b2 + c2 ) + (b3 + c3 ))
Q= : ··· : ··· .
b+c−a

E
Ct Fe
Bt
I
F
Ge
Q
Pt
At

C
B D

Figure 5. The Jerabak hyperbola of the intouch triangle

The reflection of Γ in the incenter is the conic Γ
which is the locus of the
perspectors of Ha Hb Hc and homothetic images of ABC in I.
Note that the fourth intersection of Γ with the incircle is the isogonal conjugate,
with respect to the intouch triangle, of the infinite point of its Euler line. Its an-
tipode on the incircle is therefore the Euler reflection point of the intouch triangle.
The Feuerbach point and Euler lines 197

This must also be the perspector of Ha Hb Hc (the antipode of DEF in the incircle)
and a homothetic image of ABC. It must be the Feuerbach point on Γ
.
Theorem 5. The Feuerbach point is the Euler reflection point of the intouch trian-
gle. This means that the reflections of OI (the Euler line of the intouch triangle)
concur at F .

E
Fe

I
F O

C
B D

Figure 6. The Feuerbach point as the Euler reflection point of DEF

Remarks. (1) The fourth intersection of Γ with the incircle, being the antipode of
the Feuerbach point, is the triangle cente X1317 . The conic Γ also contains Xn for
the following values of n: 145, 224, and 1537. (Note: X145 is the reflection of the
Nagel point in the incenter). These are the perspectors for the homothetic images
R r
of ABC with ratios t = −1, − R+r , and − 2(R−r) respectively.


(2) The hyperbola Γ contains the following triangle centers apart from I and Fe :
X8 and X390 (which is the reflection of the Gergonne point in the incenter). These
are the perspector for the homothetic images with ratio +1 and −1 respectively.

References
[1] C. Kimberling, Encyclopedia of Triangle Centers, available at
http://faculty.evansville.edu/ck6/encyclopedia/ETC.html.
[2] K. L. Nguyen, On the complement of the Schiffler point, Forum Geom. 5 (2005) 149–164.
[3] B. Suceavă and A. Sinefakopoulos, Problem 19710, Amer. Math. Monthly, 106 (1999) 68; solu-
tion, 107 (2000) 572–573.

Bogdan Suceavă: Department of Mathematics, California State University, Fullerton, CA 92834-

6850, USA
E-mail address: [email protected]

Paul Yiu: Department of Mathematical Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida
33431-0991, USA
E-mail address: [email protected]