Geometric Inequalities (Black Group)

Po-Ru Loh
June 28, 2010

Introduction and Useful Techniques

Because geometric inequalities combine two subjects, they come in several varieties, some more
geometric, some more algebraic. Nonetheless, there is a rather short list of general methods and
results that often apply.

1. Calculation and conversion of the problem into a “normal” inequality. The key in
using this method is to express the quantities in the problem in terms of variables that will
make the inequality nice. Common choices are lengths of sides, trigonometric functions
of angles, and areas. Often, the inequality will be intractable with one choice of variables
but quite easy with another. In easier problems, the choice of variables is obvious and ex-
pressing the inequality in terms of those variables is immediate. In harder problems, you may
need to do some geometry or a fair amount of computation to re-express the inequality. The
Laws of Sines and Cosines, Angle Bisector theorem, Ceva, trig Ceva, Menelaus,
and Stewart’s theorem may come in handy.
The distinguishing characteristic of this category of geometric inequalities is that the inequality
is ultimately achieved through algebra; all of the previous steps involved equalities. Once the
inequality is set up, all of the techniques for solving regular inequalities apply. Some appear
much more frequently than others, however. Whereas standard inequalities (especially the
harder ones) often require algebra tricks, the list of frequently-used techniques in geometric
inequalities is much more mundane. In fact, smoothing and multiplying out are probably
the most common. When multiplying out an inequality involving the sides of a triangle, the
constraints of the triangle inequality can be removed by using the triangle substitution
a = y + z, b = z + x, c = x + y, where x = s − a, y = s − b, z = s − c.
In most cases, however, the inequality will arise from geometry rather than algebra, and the
next few methods address this case.
2. Triangle inequality. Although this inequality may seem trivial, its use is surprisingly
prevalent—even in some of the hardest problems! Of the problems below, roughly one-fourth
involve the triangle inequality. The biggest clue is summed lengths. In geometry problems,
the trick is usually to put such pairs of lengths along the same line; in geometric inequalities,
moving the lengths to segments that share an endpoint suffices.
3. Ptolemy’s inequality. Here, the hints are sums of products or ratios of lengths, the latter
of which can be obtained by taking Ptolemy’s inequality and dividing out by some length.
Another hint is an equality condition involving concyclic points. As a side note, Ptolemy’s

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 inequality itself can be seen to be equivalent to the triangle inequality upon inversion. (Prove
this as an exercise if you aren’t familiar with this fact.)
Like the triangle inequality, Ptolemy’s inequality comes in handy surprisingly often. A good
example that combines these two methods is the proof that the Fermat point F for which
6 AF B = 6 BF C = 6 CF A = 120◦ minimizes AF + BF + CF . In fact, the proof of this result
is more important to remember than the result itself.
4. Projection. Once more, we have an obvious geometric fact that can be remarkably useful:
the distance from a point to a line is minimized along the altitude. Equivalently, the projection
of a segment on a line is at most as long as the original segment. The best example of this
technique is the proof of the Erdős-Mordell inequality, which states that for an acute
triangle ABC and point P in its interior,

AP + BP + CP ≥ 2(P D + P E + P F ),

where D, E, F are the feet of the perpendiculars from P to BC, CA, AB, respectively.
5. The distance from a point on a circle to a chord is maximized at one of the
midpoints of the arcs. Not much more to say about this one; it’s useful more in proving
small lemmas on the way to solving a problem.
6. Vectors. These are sometimes good for problems in which the configuration of the diagram
is unclear, and occasionally for proving acuteness or obtuseness.
7. Equalities that are actually inequalities. The tip-off here is a problem in which the
diagram seems to have too many degrees of freedom to imply the result. Usually, the case is
that the equation given is the equality case of an inequality.

In general, looking at equality cases is extremely important, as this will often suggest a
technique to use, or on the flip side, which techniques can’t be used.
Aside from this, one last point worth emphasizing is that doing a little geometric work will
frequently save much algebraic work, so drawing good diagrams and “thinking geometrically,” so
to speak, is important, just as in normal geometry problems.

***

The problems below are taken from the USAMO, IMO, and IMO Shortlists from 1996-2003.
As a piece of trivia, geometric inequalities (or disguised geometric inequalities) appeared on the
USAMO in 96, 99, 00, 01, 02 and on the IMO in 96, 98, 01, 02, 03.

Easier Problems

1. [S 01] Let M be a point in the interior of triangle ABC. Let A′ lie on BC with M A′
perpendicular to BC. Define B ′ and C ′ analogously. Define
M A′ · M B ′ · M C ′
p(M ) = .
MA · MB · MC
Determine, with proof, the location of M such that p(M ) is maximal. Let µ(ABC) denote
this maximal value. For which triangles ABC is the value of µ(ABC) maximal?

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 2. [S 96] Let ABC be an equilateral triangle and let P be a point in its interior. Let lines
AP, BP, CP meet sides BC, CA, AB at points A1 , B1 , C1 , respectively. Prove that

A1 B1 · B1 C1 · C1 A1 ≥ A1 B · B1 C · C1 A.

3. [S 97] Let ABCDEF be a convex hexagon such that AB = BC, CD = DE, EF = F A.

Prove that
BC DE FA 3
+ + ≥
BE DA F C 2
and determine when equality holds.
4. [USAMO 00/2] Let S be the set of all triangles ABC for which
 
1 1 1 3 6
5 + + − = ,
AP BQ CR min{AP, BQ, CR} r

where r is the inradius and P, Q, R are the points of tangency of the incircle with sides
AB, BC, CA, respectively. Prove that all triangles in S are isosceles and similar to one
another.
5. [USAMO 02/2] Let ABC be a triangle such that
 2  2  2  2
A B C 6s
cot + 2 cot + 3 cot = ,
2 2 2 7r

where s and r denote its semiperimeter and its inradius, respectively. Prove that triangle
ABC is similar to a triangle T whose side lengths are all positive integers with no common
divisor, and determine those integers.
6. [USAMO 96/3] Let ABC be a triangle. Prove that there is a line ℓ (in the plane of triangle
ABC) such that the intersection of the interior of triangle ABC and the interior of its reflection
A′ B ′ C ′ in ℓ has area more than 2/3 the area of triangle ABC.
7. [USAMO 01/4] Let P be a point in the plane of triangle ABC such that the segments P A,
P B, and P C are the sides of an obtuse triangle. Assume that in this triangle the obtuse angle
opposes the side congruent to P A. Prove that 6 BAC is acute.
8. [IMO 01/1] Let ABC be an acute triangle with circumcenter O. Let P on line BC be the foot
of the altitude from A. Assume that 6 BCA ≥ 6 ABC+30◦ . Prove that 6 CAB+6 COP < 90◦ .
9. [USAMO 99/2] Let ABCD be a cyclic quadrilateral. Prove that

|AB − CD| + |AD − BC| ≥ 2|AC − BD|.

Not-as-easy Problems

1. [S 01] Let ABC be a triangle with centroid G. Determine, with proof, the position of the
point P in the plane of ABC such that AP · AG + BP · BG + CP · CG is minimized, and
express the minimum value in terms of the side lengths of ABC.

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 2. [S 96] Let ABC be an acute-angled triangle with circumcenter O and circumradius R. Let
AO meet circle BOC again at A′ , and define B ′ and C ′ analogously. Prove that

OA′ · OB ′ · OC ′ ≥ 8R3

and determine when equality holds.

3. [S 02] Let ABC be a triangle for which there exists an interior point F such that 6 AF B =
6 BF C = 6 CF A. Rays BF and CF meet sides AC and AB at D and E, respectively. Prove
that
AB + AC ≥ 4DE.

4. [S 96] Let ABCD be a convex quadrilateral, and let RA , RB , RC , RD denote the circumradii
of triangles DAB, ABC, BCD, CDA, respectively. Prove that

RA + RC > RB + RD if and only if 6 A + 6 C > 6 B + 6 D.

5. [IMO 98/5] Let I be the incenter of triangle ABC. Let the incircle of ABC touch sides
BC, CA, AB at K, L, M , respectively. The line through B parallel to M K meets lines LM
and LK at R and S, respectively. Prove that angle RIS is acute.
6. [S 96] On the plane are given a point O and a polygon F (not necessarily convex). Let P
denote the perimeter of F , D the sum of the distances from O to the vertices of F , and H
the sum of the distances from O to the lines containing the sides of F . Prove that

P2
D2 − H 2 ≥ .
4

7. [S 99] Let M be a point in the interior of triangle ABC. Prove that

min{M A, M B, M C} + M A + M B + M C < AB + AC + BC.

Problems that Might Make You Uneasy

1. [S 99] For a triangle T = ABC we take the point X on side AB such that AX/XB = 4/5,
the point Y on segment CX such that CY = 2Y X, and, if possible, the point Z on ray
CA such that 6 CXZ = 180◦ − 6 ABC. We denote by S the set of all triangles T for which
6 XY Z = 45◦ . Prove that all the triangles in S are similar to each other and find the measure
of their smallest angle.
2. [S 01] Let O be an interior point of acute triangle ABC. Let A1 lie on BC with OA1
perpendicular to BC. Define B1 on CA and C1 on AB similarly. Prove that O is the
circumcenter of ABC if and only if the perimeter of A1 B1 C1 is not less than any one of the
perimeters of AB1 C1 , BC1 A1 , and CA1 B1 .
3. [IMO 03/3] A convex hexagon is given in which √ any two opposite sides have the following
property: the distance between their midpoints is 3/2 times the sum of their lengths. Prove
that all the angles of the hexagon are equal.

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4. [IMO 96/5] Let ABCDEF be a convex hexagon such that AB is parallel to DE, BC is
parallel to EF , and CD is parallel to F A. Let RA , RC , RE denote the circumradii of
triangles F AB, BCD, DEF , respectively, and let P denote the perimeter of the hexagon.
Prove that
P
RA + RC + RE ≥ .
2
5. [IMO 02/6] Let n be an integer with n ≥ 3. Let Γ1 , Γ2 , . . . , Γn be unit circles in the plane,
with centers O1 , O2 , . . . , On , respectively. If no line meets more than two of the circles, prove
that
X 1 (n − 1)π
≤ .
Oi Oj 4
1≤i<j≤n

6. [S 03] Let ABC be a triangle with semiperimeter s and inradius r. The semicircles with
diameters BC, CA, and AB are drawn on the outside of triangle ABC. The circle tangent to
all three semicircles has radius t. Prove that
√ !
s s 3
<t≤ + 1− r.
2 2 2

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Easier Problems

1. Trig Ceva; Jensen.

2. Ceva and Law of Cosines, or projection.
3. Ptolemy.
4. Tangent trig identity; Cauchy or smoothing or quadratic formula.
5. Similar to previous.
6. Angle bisector theorem.
7. Vectors or Ptolemy.
8. Trig (various solutions).
9. Similar triangles; triangle inequality.

Not-as-easy Problems

1. Vectors.
2. Similar triangles; areas.
3. Fermat point equilateral triangle construction; arc midpoint property; triangle inequality.
4. One direction of the inequality is enough. Assume 6 A + 6 C > 6 B + 6 D. Then 6 ABD >
6 ACD. Also, 6 CDB > 6 CAB. Assuming all of these angles are acute, we have RC > RB
and RA > RD . If one of them is not, then do the same with the other possible pair of triangles
and observe that the angles here must be acute.
5. Observe that △RBM ∼ △KBS. Thus, BM = BK is the geometric mean of BR and BS.
On the other hand, BI > BM, BK and is perpendicular to RS.
6. Draw rays from O to the vertices of F , decomposing theppolygon into triangles (which may
overlap). Rearrange the inequality we want as 2D ≥ (2H)2 + P 2 and write out D, H,
and P as sums of lengths. Aligning corresponding lengths properly, this becomes exactly the
(algebraic) triangle inequality—the “segments” being added don’t correspond to any geometry
from the original picture, though.
7. (Smoothing.) Lengthen the shortest of M A, M B, M C by moving M along that ray until the
shortest two of M A, M B, M C are equal. Next, notice that as we move from a midpoint of a
side to the circumcenter (along the perpendicular bisector), the derivative of our expression
increases. Hence, it suffices to check that the inequality holds at the midpoints of the sides and
at the circumcenter (if the triangle is acute). For the former, draw in a midline and use the
triangle inequality twice. For the latter, unsmooth to show that 4R < 2R(sin A+sin B+sin C).

Problems that Might Make You Uneasy

1.

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2. The forward direction is obvious. For the reverse, let DEF be the medial triangle of ABC.
Without loss of generality, assume A1 ∈ BD and B1 ∈ AE. (A little thought will show
that this can indeed be assumed.) Also assume that C1 ∈ AF . Then O lies in (or on)
one of the triangles AP F or AP E, where P is the circumcenter of ABC. We claim that in
either case, PCA1 B1 ≥ PA1 B1 C1 , with equality holding only if O = P . It is easy to see that
A1 C ≥ DC = F E ≥ C1 B1 , so it suffices to show that B1 C ≥ C1 A1 .
If O lies in AP F , then d(C1 , BC) ≤ d(B1 , BC). Also, 6 C1 A1 B ≥ 6 C, so B1 C ≥ C1 A1 as
wanted. If O lies in AP E, then 6 B1 OC ≥ 6 EP C = 6 B. Thus, B1 C = OC sin 6 B1 OC ≥
OC sin 6 B ≥ OB sin 6 B = C1 A1 . Consideration of the equality cases shows that equality is
only achieved when O = P .
Alternate solution (the official one, I believe): extend triangle CB1 A1 to a parallelogram; if it
contains triangle A1 B1 C1 , then we are done. Show by “walking around” the angles 6 AB1 C1 ,
etc., that one of these containments must hold (obtain a contradiction AO > BO > CO >
AO).
3. Draw in the main diagonals of the hexagon. If the triangle formed in the center has an angle
greater than 60 degrees, connect that vertex to the midpoints of its corresponding pair of
opposite sides of the hexagon. Use the arc midpoint property and the triangle inequality to
obtain a contradiction.
4. Emulate the proof of Erdős-Mordell (use projection).
5. It is enough to consider the case in which O1 O2 . . . On is a convex polygon; centers inside the
convex hull can then be added in iteratively. In the convex case, use tan θ < θ to convert
ratios into angles, and by drawing in both internal and external tangents to pairs of circles,
compare the half-angles
P formed
P by internal tangents to angles Oi Oj Ok . P
6 In this way, obtain
the inequality i6=j 4/Oi Oj − i 2/Oi Oi+1 < (n−2)π. Combine this with i 4/Oi Oi+1 < 2π,
proved similarly by considering exterior angles of the polygon, to obtain the desired result.
6. Solution due to Ricky Liu:
Let a, b, and c be the side lengths of ABC, and let A′ B ′ C ′ be the medial triangle of ABC.
Draw circles centered at A′ , B ′ , and C ′ with radii s/2 − a/2, s/2 − b/2, and s/2 − c/2; these
are externally tangent. Then the inner Soddy circle of A′ B ′ C ′ is the circle externally tangent
to all three. Denote this circle by ω, its center by O, and its radius by x. Then the circle
centered at O with radius x + s/2 is in fact the given circle, since the distance from O to A′
is x + s/2 − a/2, and the semicircle centered at A′ has radius a/2. Then t − s/2 = x, and
clearly x > 0.
Let Γ be the
√ incircle of A′ B ′ C ′ with center I and radius r′ = r/2. We wish to show that
x ≤ (2 − 3)r . Suppose O = I. Then the circles centered at A′ , B ′ , and C ′ are each
′

orthogonal to Γ and tangent to ω. They must √ therefore be congruent, and a straightforward

calculation shows that in this case x = (2 − 3)r′ .
Suppose O does not equal I. Choose point D such that inverting about D makes ω and Γ
concentric with ω inside Γ. To see that this point exists, draw the line connecting O and I,
and coordinatize it such that ω and Γ intersect the line at coordinates i, j, k, and l, with
i < j < k < l and j − i > l − k. Then consider the function f (z) = (1/(z − l) − 1/(z −
k))/(1/(z − j) − 1/(z − i)). Then as z approaches l from above, f (z) approaches infinity, and

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as z approaches infinity, f (z) approaches (l − k)/(j − i) < 1, so we can choose D at z > l such
that f (z) = 1. Then 1/(z −i)+1/(z −l) = 1/(z −j)+1/(z −k), so the images of ω and Γ under
inversion by D are concentric. Moreover, since 0 < 1/(z−i) < 1/(z−j) < 1/(z−k) < 1/(z−l),
(1/(z − i))(1/(z − l)) < (1/(z − j))(1/(z − k)). This implies that

(1/(z−k)−1/(z−j))/(1/(z−l)−1/(z−i)) = (k−j)/(l−i)·(z−i)(z−l)/(z−j)(z−k) > (k−j)/(l−i) = x/r′ .

In other words, the ratio between the radius of ω and Γ increases after the inversion. Since the
circles centered at A′ , B ′ , and C ′ invert to circles orthogonal to the
√ image of Γ and tangent
to the image of ω, we have that the ratio after inversion is just 2 − 3 as above, which proves
the result. Equality holds if and only if O = I, that is, if ABC is equilateral.