Napoleon's Theorem: Intermediate Challenge
Background
Napoleon's Theorem reveals a fascinating property involving equilateral triangles constructed on the sides of any triangle.
Part 1: Construction and Proof
Given triangle ABC with vertices:
A(0, 0), B(6, 0), C(2, 4)
- Construct and calculate the vertices (D, E, F) of the outward equilateral triangles on each side.
- Find the centers (P, Q, R) of these equilateral triangles.
- Prove that PQR is equilateral using:
- Complex numbers method
- Vector algebra
- Classical geometric proof
Part 2: Analysis
- Express the area of PQR in terms of:
- The side lengths of ABC
- The area of ABC
- Prove that the ratio Area(PQR)/Area(ABC) is constant for all triangles ABC.
- Find the exact value of this ratio.
Part 3: Extension
Consider the inner Napoleon triangles (constructed inward) and prove that:
Area(outer Napoleon triangle) - Area(inner Napoleon triangle) = Area(ABC)
To find vertices D, E, F, use rotation matrices with angle 60°.
The centroid of an equilateral triangle is located at (x₁+x₂+x₃)/3, (y₁+y₂+y₃)/3.
Consider using complex numbers: multiply vectors by e^(iπ/3) for 60° rotations.