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Useful Identities and Inequalities in Geometry: Web: HTTP://WWW - Esuppa.it
Useful Identities and Inequalities in Geometry: Web: HTTP://WWW - Esuppa.it
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2 Trigonometric Identities for General Angles θ, φ
Note: Any identity that is included for the regular functions, but not for the reciprocal functions, can be
converted to the latter by replacing the regulars by the reciprocals and some simple cross multiplication
and fraction manipulation.
1. Reciprocal Identities
1
(a) sin θ =
csc θ
1
(b) cos θ =
sec θ
1
(c) tan θ =
cot θ
2. Pythagorean Identities
(a) sin2 θ + cos2 θ = 1
(b) tan2 θ + 1 = sec2 θ
(c) 1 + cot2 θ = csc2 θ
3. Quotient Identities
sin θ
(a) tan θ =
cos θ
cos θ
(b) cot θ =
sin θ
5. Reflection Identities
(a) sin(180◦ − θ) = sin θ
(b) cos(180◦ − θ) = cos θ
(c) tan(180◦ − θ) = − tan θ
2
7. Even-odd Identities
(a) sin(−θ) = − sin(θ)
(b) cos(−θ) = cos θ
(c) tan(−θ) = − tan θ
3
3 Identities in 4ABC
2. Area of a Triangle
aha
(a) ∆ = , CVH
2
ab sin C
(b) ∆= , CVH
2
(c) ∆ = sr
abc
(d) ∆=
4R
p
(e) ∆ = s(s − a)(s − b)(s − c) (Heron’s Theorem)
√
(f) ∆ = rra rb rc
2 X 2 1 X 4
(g) ∆2 = · ma · m2b − · ma
9 9
X Y
1 1 1 1 1
(h) = · − + +
∆2 ha ha hb hc
2∆ X Y
(i) = sin 2A = 4 · sin A
R2
1 X 2 Y A
(j) ∆= · a cot A = r2 · cot
4 2
BL AB
3. If AL is the angle bisector of A we have = , CVH. (Angle Bisector Theorem)
LC AC
4
v
u 2 !
u a
(c) `a = bc 1 −
t , CVH
b+c
8. Briggs’s Formulas
r
A (s − b)(s − c)
(b) sin = , CVH
2 bc
r
A s(s − a)
(a) cos = , CVH
2 bc
s
A (s − b)(s − c) r ra
(c) tan = = = , CVH
2 s(s − a) s−a s
9. Mollweide’s formulas
A−B a−b C
(a) sin = cos , CVH
2 c 2
A−B a+b C
(b) cos = sin , CVH
2 c 2
1
10. cos A = (s(s − a) − (s − b)(s − c)), CVH
bc
A B s−c r2
13. tan · tan = = , CVH
2 2 s (s − a)(s − b)
5
(b) AH = 2R cos A, CVH
r
A bc(s − a)
(c) AI = r csc = , CVH
2 s
√
2 2b2 + 2c2 − a2
(d) AG = ma = , CVH
3 3
2 ◦ A 2R − a
19. tan 45 − = , CVH
2 2R + a
B−C s A A
20. cos = · sec − sin , CVH
2 2R 2 2
6
X
2. Lower Powers of an
X
(a) a2 = 2(s2 − r2 − 4Rr)
X
(b) a3 = 2(s3 − 3r2 s − 6Rrs)
X
(c) a4 = 2(s4 − 6r2 s2 − 8s2 Rr + 8Rr3 + 16R2 r2 + r4 )
X
3. (a) ra = 4R + r
X
(b) ra rb = s2
Y
(c) ra = s2 r
X 1 1
(d) =
ra r
X s
4. (a) sin A =
R
X s2 + r2 + 4rR
(b) sin A · sin B =
4R2
Y sr
(c) sin A =
2R2
X r
5. (a) cos A = +1
R
X s2 + r2
(b) cos A · cos B = −1
4R2
Y s2 − r2 − 4Rr s2 − (2R + r)2
(c) cos A = 2
−1=
4R 4R2
X 2sr
6. (a) tan A =
s2 − (2R + r)2
X 4R2
(b) tan A · tan B = 1 +
s2 − (2R + r)2
Y 2sr
(c) tan A =
s2 − (2R + r)2
Y A r
7. sin =
2 4R
7
Y A s
8. cos =
2 4R
P
X A ra 4R + r
9. (a) tan
= =
2 s s
X A B
(b) tan · tan = 1
2 2
Y A r
(c) tan =
2 s
Note: The other symmetric sums of the trigonometric functions of the half-angles are sufficiently
ugly to be useless on olympiads, or anywhere else. Additionally, the symmetric sums of the trigono-
metric functions of double-angles are also quite ugly, though tame in comparison to the half-angles.
So neither set is included.
X A r
10. (a) sin2
=1−
2 2R
X A B s2 + r2 − 8Rr
(b) sin2 · sin2 =
2 2 16R2
Y A r 2
(c) sin2 =
2 4R
X A r
11. (a) cos2
=2+
2 2R
X A B s2 + r2 + 8Rr
(b) cos2 · cos2 =1+
2 2 16R2
Y A s 2
(c) cos2 =
2 4R
2
X A 2 4R + r
12. (a) tan = −2
2 s
X A B 2r2 + 8Rr
(b) tan2
· tan2 =1−
2 2 s2
Y A r 2
(c) tan2 =
2 s
X s
13. sin(A + B) =
R
X s2 + r2 + 2Rr
14. cos(A − B) = −1
2R2
Y B−C s2 + r2 + 2Rr
15. cos =
2 8R2
8
X A
16. a tan = 2(2R − r)
2
X A−B X A B X A
17. cos =2 sin · sin + sin
2 2 2 2
X A AI + BI + CI − s
18. (a) tan
=
4 r
X A AI + BI + CI + s
(b) cot =
4 r
Note: The following is reasoning for not including symmetric sums of the reciprocal trigonometric
functions csc A, sec A, cot A:
Let {x, y, z, p, q, r} ∈ R such that:
y
1 1 1
p + q + r = x p + q + r = z
1 1 1 x
pq + qr + rp = y =⇒ pq + qr + rp = z
pqr = z 1 = 1
pqr z
Thus, it is a trivial task to convert symmetric sums of sin A, cos A, tan A into symmetric sums of
csc A, sec A, cot A respectively.
X
19. a · IA2 = abc = 4Rrs
X
20. IA2 = s2 + r2 − 8Rr
X 2 2
21. GA2 = (s − r2 − 4Rr)
3
X
22. tan A · AH 2 = 4sr
5 Other Identities
1. In a cyclic quadrilateral ABCD, ∠A + ∠C = ∠B + ∠D = 180◦ .
p
2. For a cyclic quadrilateral ABCD with sides a, b, c, d, [ABCD] = (s − a)(s − b)(s − c)(s − d)
(Brahmagupta’s Formula)
(It produces Heron’s Formula as d → 0).
3. In
s any quadrilateral ABCD with sides a, b, c, d and opposite angles A, C we have [ABCD] =
A+C
(s − a)(s − b)(s − c)(s − d) − abcd cos2 (Bretschneider’s Formula)
2
(It produces Brahmagupta’s Formula when ABCD is cyclic)
9
4. (a) For any n-sided polygon, the sum of the interior angles is 180◦ (n − 2).
180◦ (n − 2)
(b) For any regular n-sided polygon, each interior angle is .
n
◦
(c) For any convex polygon, the sum of the exterior angles is 360 .
◦
s cot 180
n
5. (a) For any regular n-sided polygon with side length s, the inradius is rn = .
2
◦
s csc 180
n
(b) For any regular n-sided polygon with side length s, the circumradius is Rn = .
2
6 Geometric Inequalities
1. b + c ≥ a, CVH, with equality holding if and only if ∠C = 180◦ , or in other words the triangle is
degenerate as the segment a. As such, the > symbol is more popular. (Triangle Inequality)
2. Let there be an n-sided polygon with side lengths represented by the sequence {ai }, 1 ≤ 1 = i ≤
n
X
n, i ∈ N. Let ai = p. Then it holds that ai ≤ p − ai for each i. Equality holds if and only if the
i=1
polygon is degenerate as the segment ai so, the > symbol is more popular. (Polygon Inequality)
This is produces the Triangle Inequality when n = 3.
3. R ≥ 2r (Euler’s Inequality)
27R2
4. 27r2 ≤ s2 ≤ (Mitrinovic’s Inequality)
4
This is quite weak, but an easy problem can regularly be reduced to it.
p p
5. (2R2 + 10Rr − r2 ) − 2(R − 2r) R(R − 2r) ≤ s2 ≤ (2R2 + 10Rr − r2 ) + 2(R − 2r) R(R − 2r)
(Blundon’s Inequality)
Blundon is the strongest inequality of the form f (R, r) ≤ s2 ≤ F (R, r), where f (R, r), f (R, r) are
functions of R, r, that is still algebraically un-complicated enough to prove aesthetically pleasing
results.
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27Rr √ 2 (4R + r)2
8. 3r(4R + r) ≤ ≤ s2 ≤ 2R + 3 3 − 4 r ≤
2 3
Note that this chain is stronger than (3), but weaker than (5),(6),(7). It is included to inform of
some inequalities that a problem may be reduced to, but these should not be used as lemmata.
Official competitions likely do not condone their use without proof (which are simple).
11. For a quadrilateral ABCD, AC · BD ≤ AB · CD + BC · AD. Equality occurs if and only if ABCD
is cyclic. (Ptolemy’s Theorem)
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