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Central Triangle


Let each of f(a,b,c) and g(a,b,c) be a triangle center function or the zero function, and let one of the following three conditions hold.

1. The degree of homogeneity of g equals that of f.

2. f is the zero function and g is not the zero function.

3. g is the zero function and f is not the zero function.

Also define three points with the following trilinear coordinates.

A^'=f(a,b,c):g(b,c,a):g(c,a,b)
(1)
B^'=g(a,b,c):f(b,c,a):g(c,a,b)
(2)
C^'=g(a,b,c):g(b,c,a):f(c,a,b).
(3)

Then DeltaA^'B^'C^' is said to be an (f,g)-central triangle of type 1, and any triangle DeltaA^'B^'C for which these equations hold for some choice of triangle center functions is called a central triangle of type 1. Such a triangle is completely determined by its first vertex A^', but has complete trilinear vertex matrix given by

 [f(a,b,c) g(b,c,a) g(c,a,b); g(a,b,c) f(b,c,a) g(c,a,b); g(a,b,c) g(b,c,a) f(c,a,b)].
(4)

If g=f, then C^'=B^'=A^' and the triangle degenerates to the triangle center A^'; otherwise, DeltaA^'B^'C^' is nondegenerate (Kimberling 1998, p. 54). Cevian and anticevian triangles are both of type 1.

If g fails to be bicentric so that g(a,c,b)!=g(a,b,c), then the resulting triangle determined by f and g is known as an (f,g)-central triangle of type 2 and has trilinear vertex matrix

 [f(a,b,c) g(b,c,a) g(c,b,a); g(a,c,b) f(b,c,a) g(c,a,b); g(a,b,c) g(b,a,c) f(c,a,b)].
(5)

No triangle of type 2 is also of type 2. Pedal and antipedal triangles are both of type 2.

Given only a single center function g, then the g-central triangle of type 3 is the degenerate triangle with collinear vertices given by trilinear vertex matrix

 [0 g(b,c,a) -g(c,a,b); -g(a,b,c) 0 g(c,a,b); g(a,b,c) -g(b,c,a) 0].
(6)

This "triangle" is also called the cocevian triangle of the center g(a,b,c):g(b,c,a):g(c,a,b) (Kimberling 1998, p. 54).

All triangle centers of an equilateral central triangle degenerate into a single center of the reference triangle.


See also

Reference Triangle, Trilinear Coordinates

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References

Kimberling, C. "Triangle Centers and Central Triangles." Congr. Numer. 129, 1-295, 1998.

Referenced on Wolfram|Alpha

Central Triangle

Cite this as:

Weisstein, Eric W. "Central Triangle." From MathWorld--A Wolfram Web Resource. https://mathworld.wolfram.com/CentralTriangle.html

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