Introduction

The theory of radical axis is a priceless geometric tool that can solve formidable
geometric problems fairly readily. Problems involving it can be found on many major
math olympiad competitions, including the prestigious USAMO. Therefore, any aspiring
math olympian should peruse this material carefully, as it may contain the keys to one's
future success.
Not all theorems will be fully proven in this text. The objective of this document is to
introduce you to some key concepts, and then give you a chance to derive some of the
beautiful results on his or her own. In that way, you will understand and retain the
information in here much more solidly. Finally, your newfound knowledge will be tested
on a few challenging problems that are exemplary examples on how radical axis theory
can be used and why it pertains to that situation. I hope after you read this text, you will
become a better math student, armed with another tool to solve difficult problems. But,
anyway, good luck.

Definitions
The power of point

with respect to circle

thereafter be dubbed

(with radius

, is defined to equal

and center

, which shall

Note that the power of a point is negative if the point is inside the circle.
The radical axis of two circles
the power of

with respect to

center and radius of

is defined as the locus of the points

and

, then a point

are equal. In other words, if

such that
are the

is on the radical axis if and only if

Results
Theorem 1: (Power of a Point) If a line drawn through point P intersects circle
points A and B, then

at

. Theorem 2: (Radical Axis Theorem)

a. The radical axis is a line perpendicular to the line connecting the circles' centers (line
).
b. If the two circles intersect at two common points, their radical axis is the line through
these two points.
c. If they intersect at one point, their radical axis is the common internal tangent.

d. If the circles do not intersect, and if one does not fully contain the other, their radical
axis is the perpendicular to
that

through point A, the unique point on such

.

Theorem 3: (Radical Axis Concurrence Theorem) The three pairwise radical axes of
three circles concur at a point, called the radical center.

Proofs
Theorem 1 is trivial Power of a Point, and thus is left to the reader as an exercise. (Hint:
Draw a line through P and the center.)
Theorem 2 shall be proved here. Assume the circles are
and

and radii

and

and

with centers

, respectively. (It may be a good idea for you to draw some

circles here.)
First, we tackle part (b). Suppose the circles intersect at points
on

and point P lies

. Then by Theorem 1 the powers of P with respect to both circles are equal

to
on

and

, and hence by transitive

. Thus, if point P lies

, then the powers of P with respect to both circles are equal.

Now, we prove the inverse of the statement just proved; because the inverse is
equivalent to the converse, the if and only if would then be proven. Suppose that P does
not lie on
and

. In particular, line

does not intersect X. Then

a second time at distinct points

and

, respectively. (If

for example, we adopt the convention that

cannot be tangent to both circles.) Because

does not equal

to

is tangent to

; similar conventions hold for

Power of a Point still holds in this case. Also, notice that

as

intersects circles

and

, and thus by Theorem 1

cannot both equal

is not equal to

is not congruent

, as desired. This completes part (b).

For the remaining parts, we employ a lemma:

Lemma 1: Let
from

to

be a point in the plane, and let

be the foot of the perpendicular

. Then

The proof of the lemma is an easy application of the Pythagorean Theorem and will again
be left to the reader as an exercise.
Lemma 2: There is an unique point P on line

such that

Proof: First show that P lies between

and

via proof by contradiction, by using a bit

of inequality theory and the fact that

that

. Then, use the fact

(a constant) to prove the lemma.

Lemma 1 shows that every point on the plane can be equivalently mapped to a line
on

. Lemma 2 shows that only one point in this mapping satisfies the given

condition. Combining these two lemmas shows that the radical axis is a line
perpendicular to , completing part (a).
Parts (c) and (d) will be left to the reader as an exercise. (Also, try proving part (b)
solely using the lemmas.)
Now, try to prove Theorem 3 on your own! (Hint: Let P be the intersection of two of the
radical axises.)

Exercises
If you haven't already done so, prove the theorems and lemmas outlined in the proofs
section. If you have done so, prove them again. (Repetition is the best way to master a
new concept.)
Note: No solutions will be provided to the following problems. If you are stuck, ask on
the forum.
Problem 1. Two circles P and Q intersect at X and Y. Point A is located on

such that

AP = 10 and AQ = 15. If the radius of Q is 7, find the radius of P.

Problem 2. Solve 2009 USAMO Problem 1. If you already know how to solve it, write up
a real proof on a piece of paper. And do it twice.
Problem 3. Two circles P and Q with radii 1 and 2, respectively, intersect at X and Y.
Circle P is to the left of circle Q. Prove that point A is to the left of
if

if and only

Problem 4. Solve 2012 USAJMO Problem 1.

Problem 5. Does Theorem 2 apply to circles in which one is contained inside the other?
How about internally tangent circles? Concentric circles?
Problem 6. Construct the radical axis of two circles. What happens if one circle encloses
the other?

Problem 7. Solve 1995 IMO Problem 1 in two different ways. Compare your solutions
with the solutions provided.