No label defined (Q4709909)

This paper is on a variation of the theme of Bottema who studied the triangles formed by three points each on an altitude on a triangle, at equal distance from the respective vertices. In this paper the author considers the Fermat lines, which are the lines joining a vertex of the given triangle \(ABC\) to the apex of an equilateral triangle constructed on its opposite side. He labels these six triangles \(BCA_\varepsilon\), \(CAB_\varepsilon\) and \(ABC_\varepsilon\), \(\varepsilon= +1\) for those erected externally, and \(\varepsilon= -1\) otherwise. There are 6 of such lines, \(AA_\varepsilon\), \(BB_\varepsilon\), \(CC_\varepsilon\). The reason for choosing these lines is that, for \(\varepsilon= \pm 1\), the three segments \(AA_\varepsilon\), \(BB_\varepsilon\), \(CC_\varepsilon\) have equal lengths \(\tau_\varepsilon\). There Fermat lines \(AA_\varepsilon\), \(BB_\varepsilon\), \(CC_\varepsilon\) intersect each other at the point \(F_\varepsilon\). Then the author labels the points on the Fermat lines by their distances from the corresponding vertices of \(ABC\), positive, respective negative in the direction from the vertex to the point \(F_+\), respective \(F_-\). Thus, \(A_+(t)\) is the unique point \(X\) on the line \(AF_+\) such that \(AX=t\). The author is mainly interested in the triangles \(\tau_\varepsilon (t)\) whose vertices are \(A_\varepsilon (t)\), \(B_\varepsilon (t)\), \(C_\varepsilon(t)\), for various values \(t\) and gives some simple observations. Also other properties are interesting. For example when the triangles \(A_\varepsilon(t)\), \(B_\varepsilon (t)\), \(C_\varepsilon(t)\) degenerate then the two resulting lines are the axes of the Steiner ellipse of the triangle.