Morley's Miracle
Bankoff's proof

This proof has appeared in Mathematics Magazine, 35 (1962) 223-224.

In the diagram,

(1)
sin(∠AQC) = sin(p - (A+C)/3)
  = sin((p - B)/3)
  = sin((2p + B)/3)

Also

(2) sin(3a) = 4sin(a)sin(p/3 + a)sin(p/3 - a)

From the Sine Law,

AQ·sin((p - B)/3) = 2R·sin(B)·sin(C/3),

where R is the circumradius. Therefore, by (2)

AQ = 8R·sin(B/3)·sin(C/3)·sin((p + B)/3).

Similarly, AR = 8R·sin(C/3)·sin(B/3)·sin((p + C)/3). Therefore,

AR/AQ = sin((p + C)/3)/sin((p + B)/3).

But ∠ARQ + ∠AQR = p - A/3 = (p + B)/3 + (p + C)/3. From here,

∠ARQ = (p + C)/3 and ∠AQR = (p + B)/3,

and similarly for triangles BPR and CPQ. It thus follows that the sum of angles around P, excluding ∠QPR is 300°, or ∠QPR = 60°. The other two angles are similarly shown to be 60°.


Morley's Miracle

  1. J.Conway's proof
  2. D. J. Newman's proof
  3. Bankoff's proof
  4. B. Bollobás' proof
  5. Another proof
  6. Nikos Dergiades' proof
  7. G. Zsolt Kiss' proof
  8. M. T. Naraniengar's proof
  9. Doodling and Miracles
  10. Morley's Pursuit of Incidence
  11. Lines, Circles and Beyond
  12. On Motivation and Understanding
  13. Bankoff's conundrum
  14. Of Looking and Seeing
  15. Morley's Redux and More, Alain Connes' proof
  16. An Unexpected Variant
  17. Proof by B. Stonebridge and B. Millar
  18. Proof by B. Stonebridge
  19. Proof by Nolan L Aljaddou
  20. Proof by Roger Smyth
  21. Proof by H. D. Grossman
  22. Proof by R. J. Webster
  23. Proof by H. Shutrick

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