Bill Dickerson

Challenge of the Week

October 23, 2006

If in an equilateral triangle ABC there is a point P such that |AP | = 3, |BP | = 4, and
|CP | = 5, what is the length of its sides?
Solution. The length of each side of triagle ABC must be either
q q
√ √
25 + 12 3, or 25 − 12 3

Proof. Choose a coordinate system in which point A is at (0, 0), and the points B and C
are parameterized by the length L of the sides that go from (0, 0) along ±30◦ :
√
Bx = L cos(π/6) = L 3/2
By = L sin(π/6) = L/2
√
Cx = L cos(−π/6) = L 3/2
Cy = L sin(−π/6) = −L/2

Point P must lie on circles of length 3,4,5 with centers at A, B, C, respectively. Thus, we
are looking for the intersection of

x 2 + y 2 = 32 |AP | = 3 (1)
 √ 2
x − L 3/2 + (y − L/2)2 = 42 |BP | = 4 (2)
 √ 2
x − L 3/2 + (y + L/2)2 = 52 |CP | = 5 (3)

Subtracting (3) from (2) gives

2Ly = 32
and solving for y gives
9
y= (4)
2L
Adding (3) and (2) gives
 √ 
2 L2 − 3Lx + x2 + y 2 = 42 + 52

Using (1) we can simplify to

 √ 
2 L2 − 3Lx + 32 = 42 + 52

Solving this for x we can obtain

2L2 − 23
x= √ (5)
2 3L2
Dickerson - Challenge of the Week, October 23, 2006 2

Substitute the expressions for x (5) and y (4) into (1) to obtain

81 (2L2 − 23)2
+ = 32
4L2 12L2
4(193 − 23L2 + L4) = 12 · 32L2
L4 − 23L2 + 193 = 27L2
L4 − 50L2 + 193 = 0

This is quadratic in L2 , and solving gives

√
L2 = 25 ± 12 3 (6)

Taking (positive) square roots gives the desired result. The situation is shown below:

L = 6.7664 L = 2.0531

6 4

4 P
B 2
2 B
P
0 A 0 A

C
−2
−2
C
−4

−4
−6

−8 −6
−2 0 2 4 6 8 10 −2 0 2 4 6

p √ p √
Figure 1: Left: L = 25 + 12 3, Right: L = 25 − 12 3.