NEWTON AND MIDPOINTS OF DIAGONALS OF

CIRCUMSCRIPTIBLE QUADRILATERALS
TITU ANDREESCU, LUIS GONZALEZ AND COSMIN POHOATA

Abstract. We generalize Newtons Theorem that the midpoints of the diagonals

of a circumscriptible quadrilateral determine a line that passes through the center
of the inscribed circle.

The starting point of our paper is the following result due to Newton, which is perhaps
one of the most classical theorems in quadrilateral geometry.

Theorem 1 (Newton). In a circumscriptible quadrilateral ABCD, the midpoints of

the diagonals and the center of the inscribed circle are collinear.
Despite its simplicity, there arent many proofs known for this magnificent little result.
We refer to [1] for a more complete bibliography. By far the best way to look at it,
nonetheless, is using the following Lemma, known as the Leon-Annes Theorem, according
to [1]. We record this proof below.
Lemma 2. Let ABCD be a convex quadrilateral and let k 2 be a (positive) real number.
Then, the locus of the points P in plane for which the sum of areas SP AB + SP CD equals
k 2 is a line.

Proof of Lemma 2. Let P be a point satisfying SP AB + SP CD = k 2 . If ABCD is a

rectangle, then the result is easy. We leave it as an exercise for the reader. Otherwise, let
us suppose WLOG that AB meets CD at X. Now, construct the points Y and Z on the
rays XA and XD so that XY = AB and XZ = CD. We note that
SP AB + SP CD = SP XY + SP XZ
= SP ZXY
= SP Y Z + SXY Z .
Triangle XY Z is however fixed, as all points X, Y , Z are fixed (by construction). Thus,
SXY Z is a constant, and so
SP XY = (SP AB + SP CD ) SP XZ
is a constant. But this just means that XY (P, XY ) is constant, hence the locus of P
is a line (at constant distance from the fixed line XY ). This proves the Lemma.

This yields a really immediate proof Theorem 1, as advertised.
Proof of Theorem 1. Note that
1
1
1
SM AB + SM CD = SABC + SADC = SABCD ,
2
2
2
since M is the midpoint of AC. Similarly, we get that
1
1
1
SN AB + SN CD = SABD + SBCD = SABCD .
2
2
2
Furthermore,
1
SIAB + SICD =
r (AB + CD)
2
1
r (AB + CD + DA + BC)
=
4
1
=
(SIAB + SIBC + SICD + SIDA )
2
1
=
SABCD ,
2
where the second equality holds by Pithots theorem that a quadrilateral ABCD is circumscriptile if and only if AB + CD = AD + BC. We refer to [3] for an easy proof.

Mathematical Reflections 1 (2014)

Thus points M , N , I all belong to the locus that appears in the Lemma, in this case
associated with the constant 12 SABCD . Thus, they are collinear, and the proof is complete.

The beauty is that this proof generalizes to prove something significatively more involved
about convex quadrilaterals in general. To state the result, we record a simple theorem
which we will prove synthetically.
Theorem 2. Let ABCD be a cyclic quadrilateral and let HA , HB , HC , HD be the
orthocenters of triangles BCD, CDA, DAB and ABC, respectively. Then, the segments
AHA , BHB , CHC , DHD all have the same midpoint.

Proof of Theorem 2. It clearly suffices to show that segments AHA and BHB have
the same midpoint. To do this, we will argue that A, B, HA and HB are the vertices of a parallelogram. Indeed, note that AHB and BHA are parallel, since the lines
are both perpendicular to CD. Also, as segments, they are both equal in length, since
AHB = 2R| cos CAD| = 2R| cos CBD| = BHA , where R is the circumradius of the cyclic
quadrilateral ABCD. This proves that ABHA HB is a parallelogram, as claimed.

The common midpoint of AHA , BHB , CHC , DHD described above is known in literature as the anticenter of (the cyclic) quadrilateral ABCD and it has magnificient properties. For example, it is also the common point of the nine-point circles of triangles BCD,
CDA, DAB and ABC. There are many interesting alternative ways to describe this point,
but for our purposes, the result from Theorem 2 will be enough.
Mathematical Reflections 1 (2014)

We refer whatsover to [2] for a more complete list of properties of the anticenter and
its generalization, the Poncelet point of an arbitrary convex quadrilateral.
We are now ready to state the main result of our paper.

Theorem 3. Let ABCD be a convex quadrilateral and let M , N be the midpoints

of diagonals AC and BD, respectively. Let XY ZT be the quadrilateral determined by
the internal angle bisectors of its four angles. Then, XY ZT is cyclic and M , N and the
anticenter of XY ZT are collinear.
Proof of Theorem 3. Obviously, to see that XY ZT is cyclic is immediate. Just note
that
Y XT

= 180 (XDC + XCD)

1
1
= 180 ( ADC + BCD)
2
2
1
1

= 180 (180 BAD ABC)

2
2
1
1
=
BAD + ABC
2
2
= ZAB + ZBA
= 180 Y ZT .

Mathematical Reflections 1 (2014)

It is for the second part that we have to do all the work. Let P be the intersection
of BC and AD and let Q be the intersection of AB and CD. WLOG, we consider the
configuration where X and T are the incenters of P CD and QDA and Y , Z are the
excenters of QBC, P AB againts vertices Q and P , respectively (as in the diagram).
For convenience, label P = AP B. In triangles P AB and P CD, recall the well-known
identities
cot

P
P Z AB
P
P X CD
=
, cot =
.
2
ZA ZB
2
XD XC

It follows that
P
(XD XC + ZA ZB)
2
= P Z AB + P X DC




P
P
= P Z 2 cos P X + AB P X 2 cos P Z DC .
2
2
cot

(1)

Also, recall that in triangles P AB and P CD we have that

P A + P B + AB
P
P D + P C DC
P
(2); cos =
. (3)
cos =
2
2 PZ
2
2 PX
Therefore, combining (2) and (3) with (1) gives us
P
cot (XD XC + ZA ZB)
2
= P Z (P D + P C DC + AB) P X (P A + P B + AB DC);
hence
P Z (P D +P C)P X (P A+P B) = XZ (DC AB) + cot

P
(XD XC +ZAZB). (4)
2

On the other hand, note that

1
1
P
SXDC =
XD XC sin CXD = XD XC sin
2
2
2
1
1
P
SZAB =
ZA ZB sin AZB = ZA ZB sin
2
2
2
P
1
SP DZC = SP DZ + SP CZ = P Z (P D + P C) sin
2
2
1
P
SP AXB = SP AX + SP BX = P X (P A + P B) sin .
2
2
Combining these four latter expressions with (4) yields
1
P
XZ (DC AB) sin + SXDC + SZAB
2
2
= SP DZC SP AXB
= SABCD SXAB SZCD . (5)
Let E, F be the orthocenters of triangles XY T and ZY T . Then, according to Theorem
2, EXZF is a parallelogram with diagonal intersection K = XF ZE, the anticenter of
(cyclic) quadrilateral XY ZT . The angle between EX and CD clearly equals XY Z, and
similarly the angle between ZF and AB equals XY Z.

Mathematical Reflections 1 (2014)

Hence

thus

1
SDECX = SEDC SXDC = EX DC sin XY Z
2
1
SAF BZ = SZAB SF AB = EX AB sin XY Z;
2
1
SEDC + SF AB = EX(DC AB) sin XY Z + SXDC + SZAB .
2

But

sin P2
cos Y ZT
EX = XZ
= XZ
;
sin XY Z
sin XY Z

hence

P
1
SEDC + SF AB = XZ(DC AB) sin + SXDC + SZAB
2
2
From (5) and (6) we get

(6).

SEDC + SF AB + SXAB + SZCD = SABCD . (7)

Now, since K is the midpoint of F X and EZ, we get
2SKAB = SXAB + SF AB , 2SKDC = SEDC + SZDC ,
which yields
2SKAB + 2SKDC = SXAB + SF AB + SEDC + SZDC . (8)
Finally, from (7) and (8), we conclude that
1
SKAB + SKCD = SABCD .
2
Therefore, by the Lemma, we conclude that K is on the line M N of the convex ABCD.
This completes the proof of Theorem 3.

Clearly, when ABCD is circumscriptible, the internal angle bisectors of the angles of
the quadrilateral are concurrent at the center of the inscribed circle; thus X = Y = Z =
T = K; thus, we recover Newtons Theorem!
References
[1] A. Bogomolny, Newtons Theorem: What is it? A Mathematical Droodle, http://www.cutthe-knot.org/Curriculum/Geometry/NewtonTheorem.shtml#explanation.
[2] D. Grinberg, Poncelet points and antigonal conjugates,
http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?t=109112?ml=1.
[3] R. A. Johnson, Advanced Euclidean Geometry, Dover, 2007.
Titu Andreescu, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA.
E-mail address: titu.andreescu@utdallas.edu
Luis Gonzalez: 5 Julio Avenue, Maracaibo, Venezuela.
E-mail address: luis240985@gmail.com
Cosmin Pohoata: 3533 Frist Center Mailbox, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
E-mail address: apohoata@princeton.edu

Mathematical Reflections 1 (2014)