5. Orthic Triangle.

Let ABC be a triangle with altitudes

AA2 , BB2 and CC2 . The altitudes are con-
current and meet at the orthocentre H (Fig-
ure 1). The triangle formed by the feet
of the altitudes, A2 B2 C2 is the orthic trian-
gle.

Remarks There are several cyclic quadri-

laterals :
• AC2 HB2 , BC2 HA2 , CA2 HB2 are cyclic.
Figure 1:
• BCB2 C2 , ACA2 C2 , ABA2 B2 are cyclic.
• The sides of the orthic triangle are antipar-
allel with sides of the triangle ABC. We have A2 B2 is antiparallel to
AB, B2 C2 is antiparallel to BC and C2 A2 is antiparallel to CA.

Proposition 1 If ABC is an acute triangle, then the angles of the

triangle A2 B2 C2 are
b 180◦ − 2B
180◦ − 2A, b and 180◦ − 2C.
b

Proof Since ACA2 C2 is cyclic, then

c2 B = 180◦ − C2 A
C2 A c2 C = A.
b

Since ABA2 B2 is cyclic,

then c2 C = 180◦ − B A
B2 A c2 B = A.
b
Thus c2 B2 = 180◦ − 2A.
C2 A b

Similarly, for the other two angles of A2 B2 C2 .

1
Proposition 2 The lengths of the sides of the orthic triangle are
R sin(2A) = a cos(A), R sin(2B) = b cos(B) and R sin(2C) = c cos(C), where
R is the circumradius of the triangle ABC. Again, ABC is an acute triangle.

Proof Since the points A2 B2 C2 lie on the ninepoint circle, the the
circumcircle of A2 B2 C2 has circumradius RA2 B2 C2 which is one half of R.

We now apply the sine rule to A2 B2 C2 . Then

|B2 C2 |
= 2RA2 B2 C2 ,
c2 )
sin(A

|B2 C2 | R
and so = 2. ,
sin(180◦ − 2A) 2
b
|B2 C2 | = R sin(2A) b cos(A)
= 2R sin(A) b
b
= a cos(A).

Remark In general, the side lengths of A2 B2 C2 are

a| cos(A)|, b| cos(B)| and c| cos(C)|.

Notation If ABC is a triangle, we denote the area of ABC by S(ABC).

Proposition 3 The area of A2 B2 C2 is given by

R2 b sin(2B)
b sin(2C).
b
S(A2 B2 C2 ) = sin(2A)
2
Proof
|A2 C2 ||A2 B2 | c2 )
We have S(A2 B2 C2 ) = sin(A
2
R2 sin(2B)b sin(2C) b sin(2A)
b
=
2
R2 b sin(2B) b sin(2C).
b
= sin(2A)
2
Proposition 4 Let rA2 B2 C2 and RA2 B2 C2 denote the inradius and cir-
cumradius of the orthic triangle A2 B2 C2 . Then

b cos(B)
rA2 B2 C2 = 2R cos(A) b and RA2 B2 C2 = R .
b cos(C)
2

2
Proof The value of RA2 B2 C2 follows from the fact that the ninepoint
circle is the circumcircle of A2 B2 C2 and its radius is one half of the circum-
radius of ABC.

For rA2 B2 C2 we have

S(A2 B2 C2 )
rA2 B2 C2 =
semiperimeter(A2 B2 C2 )
2 b sin(2B)
(R /2) sin(2A) b sin(2C)
b
=
b + sin(2B)
(R/2)(sin(2A) b + sin(2C))
b
b sin(B)
8 sin(A) b sin(C)
b cos(A)
b cos(B)
b cos(C)
b
=R
b sin(B)
4 sin(A) b sin(C)
b
b cos(B)
= 2R cos(A) b cos(C).
b

Proposition 5 If A2 B2 C2 is the orthic triangle of a triangle ABC

and H is the orthocentre of ABC (Figure 2), then
(i) H is the incentre of A2 B2 C2 , and
(ii) A, B and C are the centres of the excribed triangles.
Proof
(i) Since BA2 HC2 is cyclic,

c2 H = C2 BH
C2 A b = ABH. b
Since CA2 HB2 is cyclic,
HAc2 B2 = H CB
b 2 = H CA.b

Since BCB2 C2 is cyclic,

b 2 = C2 CB
C2 BB b 2
Figure 2:
i.e. ABHb = H CA. b
Thus c2 H = H A
C2 A c2 B2
i.e. AA2 is the bisector of the angle at A2 .
Similarly, BB2 and CC2 bisect the angles at
B2 and C2 . Thus the point H is the incentre of
the triangles A2 B2 C2 .

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 (ii) Since C2 A and B2 A are perpendicu-
lar to the internal bisectors C2 H and B2 H,
then the point A is where the external an-
gle bisectors meet. Furthermore, A lies on
the internal bisector HA2 of the angle at A2 . Thus A is the centre of
the escribed circle of A2 B2 C2 which is externally tangent to the side
B2 C2 . Similarly for the other two vertices B and C.

Theorem 1 (Haghal) The perpendiculars from the vertices A, B and

C to the sides B2 C2 , C2 A2 and A2 B2 are concurrent at the circumcentre O
of the triangle ABC.

Proof Let T A be tangent to the circumcircle of ABC

at the point A (Figure 3).

We have that B2 C2 is antiparallel to the side BC and

AT is antiparallel to BC (Step 1 of Feuerbach Theorem).
Thus T A is parallel to BC. If O is the circumcentre of
circumcircle of ABC, then AT is perpendicular to AO.
Thus B2 C2 is perpendicular to AO. Similarly show that
BO is perpendicular to A2 C2 and CO is perpendicular to
A 2 B2 .
Figure 3:

Theorem 2 Among all inscribed triangles in a triangle ABC, the

perimeter is minimized by the orthic triangle.

Figure 4:

4
 Proof Let A0 B 0 C 0 be inscribed in the
triangle ABC (Figure 4).

Let A00 be the reflection of A0 in the side AB

and A000 be the reflection of A0 on the side AC
(Figure 5).
Then |C 0 A0 | = |C 0 A00 | and
|B 0 A0 | = |B 0 A000 |
Then if P denotes the perimeter, we have Figure 5:
P(A0 B 0 C 0 ) = A0 B 0 + B 0 C 0 + C 0 A0
= |B 0 A000 | + |B 0 C 0 | + |C 0 A00 |
= |A000 B 0 | + |B 0 C 0 | + |C 0 A00 |
≥ |A000 A00 |.
Now consider the triangle A00 AA000 . We have
|AA00 | = |AA0 |,
|AA000 | = |AA0 |,
so |AA00 | = |AA000 |.
b = A0 AB
We also have A00 AB b and A0 AC
b = A000 AC.
b Thus A00 AA
b 000 = 2A.
b

Let γ be the angle AA c00 A000 = AA c000 A00 . If X is the point of point of in-
0 00 000
tersection of the lines AA and A A , then
|A00 X|
= cos(γ).
|A00 A|
Thus |A00 A000 | = 2|A00 X|
= 2 cos(γ)|A00 A|
b 00 A|,
= 2 sin(A)|A
b so γ + A
since 180◦ = 2γ +2A b = 90◦ and thus cos(γ) = cos(90◦ − A)
b = sin(A).
b
But |A00 A| = |AA0 | ≥ |AA2 |, so
b
|A00 A000 | ≥ 2 sin(A)|AA 3 |.

Thus, if A0 B 0 C 0 is an inscribed triangle, with B 0 and C 0 fixed, perimeter is

minimised if A is the point A2 . Similarly the perimeter is further mimimised
by taking B 0 and C 0 to be the points B2 and C2 respectively. Result follows.

5
Theorem 3 If ABC is an acute triangle which is not isosceles and
A2 B2 C2 is the orthic triangle then the points A0 , B 0 and C 0 , where the sides
B2 C2 and BC intersect, A2 C2 and AC intersect and A2 B2 and AB intersect,
respectively, are collinear (Figure 6).

Remark The line containing these points is called the orthic line of the
triangle ABC.

Proof If we are given two non-

concentric circles then the locus of points whose
powers with respect to the circles is a line per-
pendicular to the line joining the centres of the
circles. It is called the radical axis of the circles.

Since BC2 B2 C is cyclic, then

|A0 B2 |.|A0 C2 | = |A0 C||A0 B|.

If C is the circumcircle of ABC and C9 is the

ninepoint circle, thus
Figure 6:
ρC (A0 ) = ρC9 (A0 ).

Similarly, ρC (B 0 ) = ρC9 (B 0 ) and ρC (C 0 ) =

ρC9 (C 0 ).

Thus the 3 points A0 , B 0 and C 0 lie on the radical axis of the circles C and C9 .