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Final Assignment

 

By: Lauren Lee

 

 

For this assignment, consider any triangle ABC. Select a point P inside the triangle and draw lines AP, BP, and CP extended to their intersections with the opposite sides in points D, E, and F respectively. 

 

 

 

 

I have used GSP to construct triangle ABC with interior point P.  Now I want to explore (AF)(BD)(EC) and (FB)(DC)(EA) for various triangles and various locations of P.

 

For this ABC triangle example, I used GSP to find the measurements of the sides.  In this case:

 

 

 

Let’s look at more examples by moving the point P inside the triangle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From these examples we can see that (AF)(BD)(EC) and (FB)(DC)(EA) are equal.  Will they always be equal no matter where the point P lies in the interior? 

 

 

 

 

I want to make the conjecture that AF*BD*EC = FB*DC*EA.  In other words,

 

To prove this, I will use similar triangles.  My first step is to construct parallel lines.  I constructed lines through B and C that are parallel to the line AD.

 

 

 

 

 

 

By using the alternate interior angle theorem and vertical angles, I know that triangles DPC and BMC are similar and triangles BDP and BCN are similar.  I know from the properties of similar triangles that:

 

BD   =     DP          and         BC   =     BM

BC          CN                        DC          DP

 

      

 

 

By using the alternate interior angle theorem and vertical angles again, I know that triangle BMF is similar to triangle APF and that triangle CNE is similar to triangle APE.  Now I know from the properties of similar triangles:

 

AF   =     AP          and         CE   =     CN

BF          BM                       AE          AP

 

 

 

Now I need to multiply my equations together.

 

BD*BC*AF*CE =     DP*BM*AP*CN

BC*DC*BF*AE        CN*DP*BM*AP

 

 

By simplifying I get:

 

 

BD*AF*CE      = 1

DC*BF*AE     

 

 

 

 

RETURN