Chapter 6: Relationships Within Triangles

Part 1: Points of Concurrency

Theorems:
● 6.1: Perpendicular Bisector Theorem: In a plane, if a point lies on the perpendicular
bisector of a segment, then it is equidistant from the endpoints of that segment.
○ 6.2: Converse of the Perpendicular Bisector Theorem: In a plane, if a point is
equidistant from the endpoints of a segment, then it lies on the perpendicular
bisector of that segment.
● 6.3: Angle Bisector Theorem: If a point lies on an angle bisector, then it is equidistant
from the two sides of that angle.
○ 6.4: Converse of the Angle Bisector Theorem: If a point is equidistant from the
sides of an angle, then it lies on its angle bisector.
● 6.5: Circumcenter Theorem: The circumcenter of a triangle is equidistant from the
vertices of the triangle.
● 6.6: Incenter Theorem: The incenter of a triangle is equidistant from the sides of the
triangle.
● 6.7: Centroid Theorem: The centroid of a triangle is two-thirds of the distance from
each vertex to the midpoint of the opposite side.

Vocabulary:
● Equidistant: equal in distance from two or more points.
● Concurrent: (of three or more lines, rays, and/or segments) intersecting at one fixed
point.
● Point of Concurrency: the point of intersection of three or more lines, rays, and/or
segments.
○ Circumcenter: the point of concurrency of the three perpendicular bisectors of
a triangle.
○ Orthocenter: the point of concurrency of the three lines containing the altitudes
of a triangle.
■ Altitude of a triangle: a segment perpendicular to a side of a triangle that
runs to the vertex opposite of that side.
○ Incenter: the point of concurrency of the three angle bisectors of a triangle.
○ Centroid: the point of concurrency of the three medians of a triangle.
■ Median of a triangle: a segment that runs from a vertex of a triangle to
the midpoint of the opposite side.
Finding the Points of Concurrency:
● Centroid: Probably the most straightforward. The x-coordinate of the centroid is the
average of the 3 x-coordinates of the vertices, and the y-coordinate of the centroid is the
average of the 3 y-coordinates of the vertices.
● Circumcenter: Find the midpoints of two of the three segments. Then, find the slope of
those segments to find the slope of their perpendicular bisectors. Then, plug in the
coordinates of the midpoint in a linear equation in point-slope form to find the equations
of the perpendicular bisectors. Finally, solve the system to find the circumcenter of
the triangle (where they intersect).
● Orthocenter: Find the slopes of two of the three segments in order to find the slopes of
their altitudes. Then, plug in the vertex not included in the segment (for each segment) in
a linear equation in point-slope form to find the equation of two of the altitudes. Finally,
solve the system to find the orthocenter of the triangle (where they intersect).

Constructions:
● Angle Bisector: Draw an arc that intersects the angle at two points. Then, draw arcs
with the same radius from the two intersection points of the first arc. Finally, use a
straightedge to draw a line from the vertex of the angle to the intersection of those two
arcs to create an angle bisector.
● Perpendicular Bisector: Draw two arcs with a radius greater than half the segment
length from the endpoints of the segment. Then, connect their intersection points to
create a perpendicular bisector.
● Circumcircle & Circumcenter: Construct the perpendicular bisectors of two of the
three sides of the triangle and plot the circumcenter where they meet. Then, draw a
circle whose radius is the length from the circumcenter to a vertex to create the
circumcircle.
● Incircle & Incenter: Construct the angle bisectors of two of the three angles of the
triangle and plot the incenter where they meet. Then, drop a perpendicular line on one
of the sides to find the radius of the incircle (from the incenter to where the
perpendicular line meets the side). Use this radius to draw the incircle.
● Centroid: Find the midpoints of two sides of the triangle by constructing their
perpendicular bisectors. The midpoint is the intersection between the segment and its
perpendicular bisector. Then, draw lines to connect the midpoints of the two sides
and their opposite vertices to form 2 medians. The point where they intersect is the
centroid of the triangle.
● Orthocenter: Drop a perpendicular line on 2 segments from their opposite vertices.
These two lines are altitudes of the triangle. The point where they intersect is the
orthocenter of the triangle.
Other Information:
● The four types of points of concurrency are all the same point in an equilateral
triangle.
● In a right triangle:
○ The circumcenter is the midpoint of the hypotenuse.
○ The orthocenter is the vertex created by the two legs.
● The circumcenters and orthocenters of acute triangles are inside the triangle, while in
obtuse triangles, they are outside the triangle.
Part 2: Midsegments and Inequalities
Theorems:
● 6.8: Triangle Midsegment Theorem: The segment containing the midpoints of two
sides of a triangle is parallel to the third side and is half as long as that side.
● 6.9: Triangle Longer Side Theorem: If one side of a triangle is longer than another
side, then the angle opposite the longer side is larger than the angle opposite the shorter
side.
○ 6.10: Triangle Larger Angle Theorem (Converse of the Triangle Longer Side
Theorem): If one angle of a triangle is larger than another angle, then the side
opposite the larger angle is longer than the side opposite the smaller angle.
● 6.11: Triangle Inequality Theorem: The sum of the lengths of any two sides of a
triangle is greater than the length of the third side.
● 6.12: Hinge Theorem: If two sides of one triangle are congruent to the corresponding
sides of another triangle, and the included angle of the first is larger than the included
angle of the second triangle, then the third side of the first triangle is longer than the third
side of the second triangle.
○ 6.13: Converse of the Hinge Theorem: If two sides of one triangle are congruent
to the corresponding sides of another triangle, and the third side of the first
triangle is longer than the third side of the second triangle, then the included angle
of the first triangle is larger than the included angle of the second triangle.

Vocabulary:
● Midsegment of a triangle: a segment connecting the midpoints of two segments of a
triangle.
● Indirect proof: a proof where a statement is proved to be true because a contradiction
proves the opposite of the statement false.

Writing Indirect Proofs:

1. Identify the statement you want to prove. Assume temporarily that this statement is false
by assuming its opposite is true.
2. Reason logically as you normally would in a proof until you reach a contradiction.
3. State that the desired conclusion must be true because the contradiction proves the
temporary assumption false.