scientific article; zbMATH DE number 2174044
Let \(P\) be a point inside the triangle \(ABC\), and let \(AX\), \(BY\), and \(CZ\) be the cevians through \(P\). Let \(X'\), \(Y'\), and \(Z'\) be the harmonic conjugates of \(X\), \(Y\), and \(Z\) with respect to the sides \(BC\), \(CA\), and \(AB\), respectively. Thus \(X\) and \(X'\) divide \(BC\) internally and externaly in numerically the same ratio. The circles having \(XX'\), \(YY'\), and \(ZZ'\) as diameters are called the Apollonian circles of \(ABC\) associated with \(P\). These generalized Apollonian circles seem to have been first introduced by \textit{J. H. Weaver} [Am. Math. Mon. 45, 17--21 (1938; JFM 64.0633.02)], where it is proved that these circles are coaxial (and thus have collinear centers), and where they are investigated for several special points \(P\). Needless to say, when \(P\) is the incenter, one gets the classical Apollonian circles, which are known to have two intersection points, namely the isodynamic points of \(ABC\). In this paper, the author gives a characterization of those points \(P\) for which the associated Apollonian circles intersect at two points, intersect at no real points, and mutually touch each other. Specifically, he denotes the line determined by the centers of the Apollonian circles by \(\mathcal{L}\), the circumcircle of \(ABC\) by \(\mathcal{C}\), and the pole of \(\mathcal{L}\) with respect to \(\mathcal{C}\) by \(Q\), and he proves that the Apollonian circles of \(P\) intersect at 2, 1, or 0 real points according as \(Q\) lies inside, on, or outside \(\mathcal{C}\), or equivalently, according as \(\mathcal{L}\) intersects \(\mathcal{C}\) at 0, 1, or 2 real points. In particular, this nice characterization of those points whose associated Apollonian circles are mutually tangent to each other results in an elegant Euclidean construction of such circles. The author also describes a remarkable animation picture showing a moving triad of circles orthogonal to \(\mathcal{C}\) and mutually tangent to each other at a point on \(\mathcal{C}\).
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