Menelaus was a mathematician who lived during the Roman Empire in both Alexandria and

Rome. His work was largely on the geometry of spheres. This theorem was first discussed in his
book, Sphaerica, and later mentioned by Ptolemy in his work Almagest. It achieved wider
familiarity when the 17th century Italian mathematician Giovanni Ceva expanded upon it in his
theorem on the same subject. Menelaus’ Theorem proves that spheres are made up of spherical
triangles.

example of a spherical triangle example of a geodesic

Basic Concepts of the Menelaus Theory

Given a triangle ABC, and a transversal line that crosses BC, AC and AB at points D,E and F
respectively, with D,E and F distinct from A,B and C .

 Menelaus Theory Example Problem

B
4
M

8
12
E

6
A
18 C 6 N

Remember: AM/MB × BE/EC × CN/NA

 Solution: Step-by-Step
AM/MB × BE/EC × CN/NA

(12/4) × (8/6) × (6/24) = ?

Real Life Applications

 Celestial Navigation

 Air Navigation

 Architecture

 Astronomy and Physics

What is Ceva’s Theorem?

Giovanni Ceva (1647-1734)

• An Italian professor who taught mathematics in Mantua,

working on geometry for most of his life.

• He published a theorem in 1678 in De Lineis Rectis, Latin for

“The Straight Lines”

• His first major work, as well as his most important, De Lineis

Rectis proved many geometrical propositions, most famously
Ceva’s Theorem. It focused on the center of gravity between a
system of points to obtain the relations of the segments.

Centroid Circumcenter Incircle Orthocenter

Medians Perpendicular Angle Altitudes

Bisectors Bisectors
 Ceva’s Theorem

• This theorem states that if three lines are drawn in a triangle

from each vertex to the opposite sides, they intersect in a single
point if, and only if, the sides are divided into parts so that:
AB’ . CA’ . BC’

B’C A’B C’A = 1

(This theorem can also be written as AB’ Ÿ CA’ Ÿ BC’ = B’C Ÿ A’B Ÿ
C’A)

According to Ceva’s Theorem, the lines, known as cevians, can

intersect either inside or outside the triangle. However, the
given equations only apply when the cevians intersect inside the
triangle.

The cevians MUST be concurrent to make the equation equal 1.

Cevians
• In Giovanni’s honor, the intersecting lines, or AA’, BB’, and CC’
are known as cevians.

• Although an unfamiliar term, cevians are a simple concept. As

they are simply lines in a triangle that are concurrent, or
intersecting in the same point, medians, altitudes, angle
bisectors, and perpendicular bisectors of a triangle are all
cevians.

THE NINE-POINT CIRCLE

 is a circle that can be constructed for any given triangle.
 It is so named because it passes through nine significant concyclic points defined
from the triangle.
 also known as Feuerbach's circle and Euler's circle.
 Its center is the nine-point center of the triangle.
 The nine point circle of a given triangle is a circle which passes through 9
"significant" points:
 The three feet of the altitudes of the triangle.
 The three midpoints of the edges of the triangle.
 The three midpoints of the segments joining the vertices of the triangle to
its orthocenter.

 The diagram shows the nine significant

points of the nine-point circle.
Points D, E, and F are the midpoints of
the three sides of the triangle.
Points G, H, and I are the feet of the
altitudes of the triangle. Points J, K,
and L are the midpoints of the line
segments between each
altitude's vertex intersection (points A, B,
and C) and the triangle's orthocenter.

Construction of the Nine-Point Circle

 1. Draw a triangle ABC.

2. Construct the midpoints of the three sides. Label them as L, M, N.

 3. Construct the feet of the altitudes of the triangle ABC. Label them as D, E, F.
Label the point of intersection of the three altitudes as H. This is also called
the orthocenter.

4. Construct the midpoints of the segments AH, BH, CH. Label them as X, Y, Z.

 First, notice the nine points, L,M,N,D,E,F,X,Y, Z, lie in a circle.

 This circle is called the Nine-Point Circle.

 To find the center of the Nine-Point Circle, construct the circumscribed circle for
triangle LMN. Label the center as U.

 The center of the circumscribed circle for triangle LMN will also be the center of
the Nine-Point Circle labeled as U.

 A second way to find the Nine-Point Center is to begin by constructing the

circumcircle for triangle ABC. Label the circumcenter as CC.
 The center of the Nine-Point Circle, U, is the midpoint from the orthocenter, H, and
the circumcenter, CC, of triangle ABC.

 No matter what type of triangle we have, other than a degenerate triangle, those
nine points will always lie in a circle, the nine point circle, with center at U.

A PROOF OF THE NINE-POINT CIRCLE