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Second Brocard Triangle


SecondBrocardTriangle

The second Brocard triangle of a reference triangle DeltaA_1A_2A_3 is the triangle DeltaC_1C_2C_3 obtained by the following construction. Let c_1 be the circle tangent at A_1 to A_1A_2 and passing through A_3, and let c_1^' be the circle tangent at A_1 to A_1A_3 and passing through A_2. Their second intersection is C_1. Define C_2 and C_3 similarly by cyclically permuting the indices.

SecondBrocardTriangleSymmedian

The second Brocard triangle is also the triangle obtained as the intersections of the lines A_1K, A_2K, and A_3K with the Brocard circle, where K is the symmedian point. Let P_1, P_2, and P_3 be the intersections of the lines A_1K, A_2K, and A_3K with the circumcircle of DeltaA_1A_2A_3. Then C_1, C_2, and C_3 are the midpoints of A_1P_1, A_2P_2, and A_3P_3, respectively (Lachlan 1893).

The second Brocard triangle has trilinear vertex matrix

 [2bccosA ab ac; ab 2accosB bc; ac bc 2abcosC].
(1)

It has area

 Delta^'=((a^2+b^2+c^2)(a^4-a^2b^2+b^4-a^2c^2-b^2c^2+c^4))/((-a^2+2b^2+2c^2)(2a^2+2b^2-c^2)(2a^2-b^2+2c^2))Delta,
(2)

where Delta is the area of the reference triangle, and side lengths

a^'=sqrt((a^4-a^2b^2+b^4-a^2c^2-b^2c^2+c^4)/((2a^2+2b^2-c^2)(2a^2-b^2+2c^2)))a
(3)
b^'=sqrt((a^4-a^2b^2+b^4-a^2c^2-b^2c^2+c^4)/((2a^2+2b^2-c^2)(-a^2+2b^2+2c^2)))b
(4)
c^'=sqrt((a^4-a^2b^2+b^4-a^2c^2-b^2c^2+c^4)/((2a^2-b^2+2c^2)(-a^2+2b^2+2c^2)))c,
(5)

where a, b, and c are the side lengths of the reference triangle.

The focus X_(110) of the Kiepert parabola of the second Brocard triangle is X_(9129) of the reference triangle, the midpoint of its Kiepert parabola focus X_(110) and Parry point X_(111) (O. Walsh, pers. comm., Nov. 16, 2025; Kimberling).

The following table gives the centers of the second Brocard triangle in terms of the centers of the reference triangle that correspond to Kimberling centers X_n.

X_ncenter of second Brocard triangleX_ncenter of reference triangle
X_3circumcenterX_(182)midpoint of Brocard diameter
X_6symmedian pointX_(574)harmonic of X_(187)
X_(15)first isodynamic pointX_(15)first isodynamic point
X_(16)second isodynamic pointX_(16)second isodynamic point
X_(110)focus of Kiepert parabolaX_(9129)midpoint of X_(110) and X_(111)
X_(187)Schoute centerX_(187)Schoute center
X_(511)isogonal conjugate of X_(98)X_(511)isogonal conjugate of X_(98)
X_(512)isogonal conjugate of X_(99)X_(512)isogonal conjugate of X_(99)
X_(1379)first Brocard-axis intercept of circumcircleX_6symmedian point
X_(1380)second Brocard-axis intercept of circumcircleX_3circumcenter
X_(2029)second Brocard-axis-Moses-circle intersectionX_(39)Brocard midpoint
X_(2459)inverse-in-circumcircle of X_(371)X_(2459)inverse-in-circumcircle of X_(371)
X_(2460)inverse-in-circumcircle of X_(372)X_(2460)inverse-in-circumcircle of X_(372)
BrocardTrianglesPerspectiveCentroid

The first Brocard triangle and second Brocard triangle are in perspective with perspector at the triangle centroid G of DeltaA_1A_2A_3.


See also

Brocard Triangles, D-Triangle, First Brocard Triangle, Third Brocard Triangle

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References

Gibert, B. "Brocard Triangles." http://bernard-gibert.fr/gloss/brocardtriangles.html.Honsberger, R. "The Brocard Triangles." §10.4 in Episodes in Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Euclidean Geometry. Washington, DC: Math. Assoc. Amer., pp. 110-118, 1995.Kimberling, C. "Encyclopedia of Triangle Centers: X(9129)=Midpoint of X(110) and X(111)." https://faculty.evansville.edu/ck6/encyclopedia/ETCPart5.html#X9129.Lachlan, R. An Elementary Treatise on Modern Pure Geometry. London, England: Macmillian, pp. 78-81, 1893.

Referenced on Wolfram|Alpha

Second Brocard Triangle

Cite this as:

Weisstein, Eric W. "Second Brocard Triangle." From MathWorld--A Wolfram Resource. https://mathworld.wolfram.com/SecondBrocardTriangle.html

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