FOCUS ON No. 36 Michel Bataille Geometry with Complex Numbers (1) Introduction Among the various angles of attack of a geometry problem, the use of complex, numbers is sometimes chosen, ‘The method, often very direct, involves clever calculations instead of awsiliary constructions or synthetic arguments and can produce elegant solutions. The purpose of this number and the next one is to show some examples of applications of this method. In this part I, we will focus oon the frequent case when a triangle and its circumcircle are at the heatt of the problem. In part II, we will consider and illustrate other applications, For an introduction to the method with a selection of exercises, we refer the reader to [1]; for a more thorough treatise on the subject, a good reference is (2) Complex numbers and circumcircle: a direct approach ‘We will consider problems for which we can suppose that the circumacitcle T of a siven triangle ABC is the unit circle. We will denote by the lower-case letter m the affix of any point M. Thus, the affixes a,b,c of the vertices 4, B,C satisfy a7 = bb = cz = 1 while the affix of the cireumeentre Q is (conveniently) 0. We shall freely use the following lemma: If A,B are two distinct points of I’ and U,V two distinct points of the plane, then (i) UV is parallel to AB if and only if vu = abe — 7); (i) UV is perpendicular to AB if and only if v ~ u = ab(5— 3) Prof. () The line UV is parallel to AB af and only if 2 isa real number, that is, if and only if Since} = } anda ab(o—u), ‘The proof of (i) is similar, with UV being perpendicular to AB if and only if ‘a simple calculation gives the condition »—w a ba Foe With the help of this lemma, it is easy to obtain the equation of the line AB: 2+ abz = a+ and the equation of the tangent to’ at A: 2+ a2 = 2a, (Cruz Mathematicorum, Vel. 45(5), May 2019We are now ready to consider a first example, namely problem 11846 set in the American Mathematical Monthly in 2015. Tere is the slightly modified statement: Let ABC be a triangle with no right angle, and let By and C, be the points where the altitudes from B and C intersect the circumeircle, Let X be a point of [, not diametzically opposite to B or C, and let Bz and C; denote the intersections of XB, with AC and XC; with AB, respectively. Prove that the line B,C; contains the orthocenter of ABC. Recall that the orthocentre II satisfies OTF = OA + OB + OC, hence its affix is haatbre Since the line BB,, whose equation is ¢ + bby = b +b, pastes through H, we have (at b+e) 4 blero rd = 64h and so by =~“, It follows that the equation of XB, is 7 a 7 (with the convention that XB, is the tongent to T at BX = Br). Since the equation of AC is z+ acZ = a +c, we readily find by Similarly, +e he ~ ab cy = SE and we deduce hb+ea het ab hob EE and hg = SE Let = 922. Using a = B= of = 27 = 1, a straightforward calculation gives © =A, hence A is a real number. The collinearity of the points H, By, C2 follows, Copyright © Canadian Mathematical Society, 2019‘The efficiency and directness of the method are also noticeable in the following, ‘example proposed in the Mathematical Gazette in 2013: ‘Triangle A'2'C" is the image of a given triangle ABC after rotation throught 180° about a given point P in its plane. Points A", BY and C” are the reflections of A’ in BC, Bin CA and C' in AB, respectively. Prove that, (@) the circumcentres of triangles ABC, A"B"C" coincide; (i) triangles ABC, A"B"C” are similar; (iil) the orthocentre of triangle A'B'C" lies on the circle A"B" Let H and H' be the orthocontres of AABC and AA’BIC'. Note that His the image of HT under the rotation through 180° about P. Because the midpoint of A’A" is on the line BC, we have (al +a") + bel@ +3") = 2(6-+ 0) and because A’A" is perpendicular to BC, we have bela" — 27), Also, a’ = 2p —a expresses that P is the midpoint of AA’, From these relations, wwe readily obtain: al = b+ e+ Tbe — 2p, that is, a” = 2a, where A= ab +be+ ca ~ dabep = abel@+B-+2~ 2p) = abelh— Tp = ~abcW. Fiom the symmetry of A in a,b,c, we deduce ” = AB, e = Xz, Now, assuming that h’ #0, that is, P is not the centre of the Euler circle of AARC, (i), (i, ii) result successively from © a") = |b") = le"(= 1A); 45" _ (Aba AB ~ boa) + |W] =F] =| - abet) (When P is the contre of the Buler circle of triangle ABC, we have that Weep aC" On) We conclude the paragraph with a more dificult problem, problem 3585 [2013 414 ; 2014 : 399), of which two geometric solutions have been published Let ABC be a triangle and let F be a point that lies on the cireum- cixcle of ABC. Further, let H,, Hy and H, denote projections of the (Cruz Mathematicorum, Vel. 45(5), May 2019orthocenter onto sides BC, AC and AB, respectively. The three cir des AIL,F, BHyF and CH,F meet the three sides BC, AC and AB at points Ay, By and C;, respectively. Prove that Ay, By and C) are collinear. ‘To ensure the existence of the circles yy — (AHaF). we assume that F is diferent from A, B,C and from the reflections of Hin the sidelines of AABC, We note that the triangle A//,A) is right-angled at H, and. inscribed in Yq, hence AA, is a diameter of ya. It follows that ZAF A; = 90° so that A; is the point of intersection of BC and the perpendicular to AF at F. Since these two lines have respective equations ztbr—bte and 2-afz—f-a, k pap Meek hereof ae Dr sec permutation, ve obtain by = —*—— and ey = —*—. Now, 2b = R48) we obeain in = ap md = reap NOW a caf =i Reta 4 tes a and, a ‘Thus, & isa real number and so By is on the line O41. Similarly, Cy is on Oy and the conclusion follows with an additional result: the line through Aa, B,C passes through the centre Q of the circumeitele of ABC. Copyright © Canadian Mathematical Society, 2019‘Complex numbers and circumcircle: when angle bisectors are involved When the angle bisectors of AABC play a central role in the problem, the above approach is not quite suitable, as it leads to corplicated calculations. It seems preferable to adopt the following way: keeping the circumeircle [as the unit circle, we suppose that the affixes of A, B,C are c'*, e'*, e'7, respectively, with 0 i (73-4). PoP Simple calculations give Copyright © Canadian Mathematical Society, 2019bao cna e-d=(a+b)(b+e)(c+a) > and f—d=(a+b)(b+e)(c+a) so that et be f-d cma On the eter hand, ppp denote the ales of fF then =P iv) meaning that ADEF and Alql- are (inversely) similar and so are ADEF and AK. Ki Ke. For the conclusion drawn from (+), see part IT or [2] p. 57-58. ‘The reader is invited to solve the two following exercises with the help of complex: numbers Exercises 1. Given an acute triangle ABC, let O be its cixcumeenter, let M be the inter- section of lines AO and BC, and let D be the other intersection of AO with the circumeircle of ABC. Let E be that point on AD such that M is the midpoint of ED. Let F be the point at which the perpendicular to AD at M meets AC. Prove that EF is perpendicular to AB. [Problem 11737 of the American Mathematical Monthly, 2. Let H1,0 be the orthocenter, incentre, circumcentre of a triangle ABC and let J be the reflection of I about O. Prove that the line through the midpoints of JH and BC is parallel to AL References [1] M. Bataille, Chapter 4 in Géométrie plane, avec des nombres, OMS/SMC Atom XV, 2015, [2] Liang-shin Hahn, Comples: numbers and Geometry, MAA, 1994 S00 = (Cruz Mathematicorum, Vel. 45(5), May 2019