Given a triangle’s circumcenter, incenter, and midpoint of one side, construct its vertices

euclidean-geometrygeometric-constructiongeometry

Wernick's list problem number 69: We want to find, with straightedge and compass, the vertices of triangle $\triangle ABC$ but we're only given:

  • its incenter, $I$
  • its circumcenter, $O$
  • the midpoint of side $a$, $M_a$

What I've done:

  • draw half line $OM_a$, $r$

  • draw $s$ perpendicular to $r$ passing through $M_a$ (this line contains side $BC$)

  • draw $t$:a parallel to $r$ passing through $I$

  • $Z = t \cap s$

  • draw circle $c$ centered at $I$ passing thorugh $Z$ (this is the incircle of $\triangle ABC$)

  • $Q = c \cap t \neq Z $

  • reflect $Z$ at the point $M_a$ to find $T$.

  • draw line $QT$ ($A$ is on this line).

I don't know how to finish. I suspect we can draw the radius of the circumcircle with Steiner porisms and that would end the problem.

Best Answer

You can indeed find the circumcircle:

draw $IP \perp IO$ such that $P$ is in the incircle already drawn (there are two possible points for $P$ but it doesn't matter which one you pick).

let line $OP$ meet the circle centered at $P$ passing through $I$ at point $X$ ($X$ the point most distant to $O$).

The circle centered at $O$ with radius $OX$ is the circumcircle of $\triangle ABC$.

This is a result that is based on the distance $OI^2 = R^2 -2rR$.

From this, we easily get $\triangle ABC$.