b

Forum Geometricorum
Volume 1 (2001) 137–140. b b

FORUM GEOM
ISSN 1534-1178

Euler’s Formula and Poncelet’s Porism

Lev Emelyanov and Tatiana Emelyanova

1. Introduction
It is well known [2, p. 187] that two intersecting circles O(R) and O1 (R1 ) are
the circumcircle and an excircle respectively of a triangle if and only if the Euler
formula
d2 = R2 + 2RR1 , (1)
where d = |OO1 |, holds. We present a possibly new proof and an application to
the Poncelet porism.

B
P A K

O O1 B O
O1
C
C
M

Figure 1 Figure 2

Theorem 1. Intersecting circles (O) and (O1 ) are the circumcircle and an excircle
of a triangle if and only if the tangent to (O1 ) at an intersection of the circles meets
(O) again at the touch point of a common tangent.
Proof. (Sufficiency) Let O(R) and O1 (R1 ) be intersecting circles. (These circles
are not assumed to be related to a triangle as in Figure 1.) Of the two lines tangent
to both circles, let AK be one of them, as in Figure 2. Let P = AK ∩ OO1 . Of
the two points of intersection of (O) and (O1 ), let C be the one not on the same
side of line OO1 as point A. Line AC is tangent to circle O1 (R1 ) if and only
if |AC| = |AK|. Let B and M be the points other than C where line P C meets
circles O(R) and O1 (R1 ), respectively. Triangles ABC and KCM are homothetic
|AB| R
with ratio RR1 , so that = . Also, triangles ABC and CAK are similar,
|CK| R1
|AB| |AC|
since ∠ABC = ∠CAK and ∠BAC = ∠ACK. Therefore, = , so
|AC| |CK|
|CK| R |AC|
that · = , and
|AC| R1 |CK|


R1
|CK| = |AC| . (2)
R
Publication Date: October 8, 2001. Communicating Editor: Clark Kimberling.
138 L. Emelyanov and T. Emelyanova

Also,
|AK| = |AC| cos(∠CAK) + |CK| cos(∠CKA)


|AC|2 |CK|2
= |AC| 1 − + |CK| 1 − . (3)
4R2 4R12
If |AC| = |AK|, then equations (2) and (3) imply



|AK|2 R1 |AK|2
|AK| = |AK| 1 − + |AK| − ,
4R2 R 4R2
which simplifies to |AK|2 = 4RR1 − R12 . Since |AK|2 = d2 − (R − R1 )2 , where
d = |OO1 |, we have the Euler formula given in (1). 
We shall prove the converse below from Poncelet’s porism.

2. Poncelet porism
Suppose triangle ABC has circumcircle O(R) and incircle I(r). The Poncelet
porism is the problem of finding all triangles having the same circumcircle and
incircle, and the well known solution is an infinite family of triangles. Unless
triangle ABC is equilateral, these triangles vary in shape, but even so, they may be
regarded as “rotating” about a fixed incircle and within a fixed circumcircle.

D
B
C1

A I
I1

O
B1

C
E

Figure 3

Continuing with the proof of the necessity part of Theorem 1, let I1 (r1 ) be the
excircle corresponding to vertex A. Since Euler’s formula holds for this configu-
ration, the conditions for the Poncelet porism (e.g. [2, pp. 187-188]) hold. In the
family of rotating triangles ABC there is one whose vertices A and B coincide in
a point, D, and the limiting line AB is, in this case, tangent to the excircle. More-
over, lines CA and BC coincide as the line tangent to the excircle at a point of
intersection of the circles, as in Figure 3. This completes the proof of Theorem 1.
Certain points of triangle ABC, other than the centers of the two fixed circles,
stay fixed during rotation ([1, p.16-19]). We can also find a fixed line in the Pon-
celet porism.
Euler’s formula and Poncelet’s porism 139

Theorem 2. For each of the rotating triangles ABC with fixed circumcircle and
excircle corresponding to vertex A, the feet of bisectors BB1 and CC1 traverse
line DE, where E is the touch point of the second common tangent.
M

B
C1
P

A I
I1
K G1
B1

Figure 4

3. Proof of Theorem 2
We begin with the pole-polar correspondence between points and lines for the
excircle with center I1 , as in Figure 4.
The polars of A, B, C are LM , M K, KL, respectively, where ∆KLM is the
A-extouch triangle. As BB1 is the internal bisector of angle B and BI1 is the
external bisector, we have BB1 ⊥BI1 , and the pole of BB1 lies on the polar of
B, namely M K. Therefore the pole of BB1 is the midpoint P of segment M K.
Similarly, the pole of the bisector CC1 is the midpoint Q of segment KL. The
polar of B1 is the line passing through the poles of BB1 and LB1 , i.e. line P L.
Likewise, M Q is the polar of C1 , and the pole of B1 C1 is centroid of triangle
KLM , which we denote as G1 .
We shall prove that G1 is fixed by proving that the orthocenter H1 of triangle
KLM is fixed. (Gallatly [1] proves that the orthocenter of the intouch triangle
stays fixed in the Poncelet porism with fixed circumcircle and incircle; we offer a
different proof, which applies also to the circumcircle and an excircle.)
Lemma 3. The orthocenter H1 of triangle KLM stays fixed as triangle ABC
rotates.

Proof. Let KLM be the extouch triangle of triangle ABC, let RST be the orthic
triangle of triangle KLM , and let H1 and E1 be the orthocenter and nine-point
center, respectively, of triangle KLM , as in Figure 5.
(1) The circumcircle of triangle RST is the nine-point circle of triangle KLM ,
so that its radius is equal to 12 R1 , and its center E1 is on the Euler line I1 H1 of
triangle KLM .
(2) It is known that altitudes of an obtuse triangle are bisectors (one internal and
two external) of its orthic triangle, so that H1 is the R-excenter of triangle RST .
140 L. Emelyanov and T. Emelyanova

P
T

A
H1 I1

O K E1
R
S
Q

Figure 5

(3) Triangle RST and triangle ABC are homothetic. To see, for example, that
AB||RS, we have ∠KRL = ∠KSL = 90◦ , so that L, R, S, K are concyclic.
Thus, ∠KLR = ∠KSR = ∠RSM . On the other hand, ∠KLR = ∠KLM =
∠KM B and ∠RSM = ∠SM B. Consequently, AB||RS.
(4) The ratio k of homothety of triangle ABC and triangle RST is equal to
the ratio of their circumradii, i.e. k = 2R
R1 . Under this homothety, O → E1 (the
circumcenters) and I1 → H1 (the excenter). It follows that OI1 ||E1 H1 . Since E1 ,
I1 , H1 are collinear, O, I1 , H1 are collinear. Thus OI1 is the fixed Euler line of
every triangle KLM .
The place of H stays fixed on OI because EH = OI k remains constant. There-
fore the centroid of, triangle KLM also stays fixed. 
To complete the proof of Theorem 2, note that by Lemma 3, G1 is fixed on line
OI1 . Therefore, line B1 C1 , as the polar of G1 , is fixed. Moreover, B1 C1 ⊥OI1 .
Considering the degenerate case of the Poncelet porism, we conclude that B1 C1
coincides with DE, as in Figure 3.

References
[1] W. Gallatly, The Modern Geometry of the Triangle, 2nd edition, Francis Hodgson, London, 1913.
[2] R. A. Johnson, Modern Geometry, Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1929.

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

Tatiana Emelyanova: 18-31 Proyezjaia Street, Kaluga, Russia 248009