The Erdos-Mordell inequality

George Tsintsifas, Thessaloniki, Greece.

Let ABC be a triangle and an interior point M. We denote by AM =

x1 , BM = x2 , CM = x3 . The distances of the point M from BC, CA, AB
are denoted by p1 , p2 , p3 .
Erdos-Mordell inequality asserts.

x1 + x2 + x3 ≥ p 1 + p 2 + p 3

The above problem proposed by P.Erdos in the American Mathematical

Monthly in 1935 and solved byI.J.Mordell and D.F.Borrow in 1937. Later
many Mathematicians obtained solutions and for a long time the problem
was in the air. Some classical solutions can be found in the following main
sources:

1.Geometric Inequalities by O.Bottema, R.Z.Djordjevic, R.R.Janic,D,S.Mitrinovic,

P.M.Vasic,Wolters-Noordhoff Pub.
2.Recent Advances in Geometric Inequalities by D.S.Mitrinovic, J.E.Pecaric
and V.Volonec. Klwver Academic pub.
3.Geometric Inequalities by N.D.Kazarinoff. Random House.
4.Plane Geometry and its Groups by H.W.Guggenaimer. Holden Day.
5.Introduction to Geometry by H.S.M.Coxeter. John Wiley and sons.
Many years ago I found some new (at least for me) proofs and the most
interesting are sortly exposed below. Some of them, I am sure, have been
obtained and by others Matimaticians.Anywhere, I believe that this article
is useful especialy for young Mathematicians.

1
 Proof 1
From the point M we drop the perpenticulars MD, ME, MF to BC, CA, AB
respectively and then the perpenticulars EE’, FF’ to BC We easily see that:
6 M EE ′ = C and 6 M F F ′ = B. We have.

F E = AM.sinA = x1 sinA

Obviously
F E ≥ F ′ E ′ = F ′ D + DE ′ = p3 sinM F F ′ + p2 sinM EE ′ = p2 sinB + P3 sinC
That is:
sinB sinC
x1 ≥ p 3 + p2
sinA sinA
Two similar inequalities follow and adding we take.
X X sinB sinC
xi ≥ p1 ( + ) ≥ 2(p! + p2 + p3 )
sinC sinB
see fig.1

Figure 1:

2
 Proof 2
We denote by D,E,F the feets of the perpendiculars of an interior point M
to the sides of the triangle ABC. Using the same notation as in the proof 1,
we have.
To the triangle DEF.

p1 .EF ≥ 2[(DM F ) + (DM E)] = p1 p3 sinB + p1 p2 sinC

Therefore

EF ≥ p3 sinB + p2 sinC or x1 sinA ≥ p3 sinB + p2 sinC

or,
sinB sinC
x1 ≥ p 3 + p2 etc.
sinA sinA

Figure 2:

3
 Proof 3
Let Ax the symmetric of the AM relative the bissectrice of the angle A and
BB’, CC’ the distances of B andC from Ax.
We have:
a ≥ BB ′ + CC ′ = c.sinM AC + b.sinM AB = c. xp21 + b. xp31
Therefore
c b
a.x1 ≥ c.p@ + b.p3 and x1 ≥ p2 + p3 etc.
a a

Figure 3:

4
 Proof 4
We drop the perpenticulars BB’, AA’, CC’ to the line EF. Obviously we have:

B ′ C ′ = c.cosAF A′ + b.cosAEA′ = c.sinM F A′ + b.sinM EA′ ≤ a (1)

or

sinM F A′ sinM EA′ sinA 1

= = = (2)
p2 p3 EF x1

From (1) and (2) follows:

p2 p3
c. + b. ≤ a
x1 x1
or
b c
p3 + p2 ≤ x1 etc.
a a

Figure 4:

5
 Proof 5
Let D,E,F the feets of the perpendiculars on the sides BC, CA, AB respec-
tively. We drop the perpendiculars EE’, FF’ to BC.We will have:
X E ′F ′
x1 + x2 + x3 ≥ x1
EF
But
E ′ F ′ = p3 sinB + p2 sinC and EF = x1 sinA
Therefore
X X sinB sinC
xi ≥ (p3 + p2 )
sinA sinA

Figure 5:

6
 Proof 6
The feets of the perpendiculars from the point M to the sides BC, CA, AB
are the points D,E,F respectively. From E,F we drop the perpendiculars EE’
and FF’ to DM. We obviously have:

EF ≥ EE ′ + F F ′ = p3 sinB + p2 sinC

That is
x1 sinA ≥ p3 sinB + p2 sinC
Cyclicaly we take two other inequalities etc.

Figure 6:

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 Proof 7
The antiparallel from the point M intersects AB to the oint B’ and the side
AC to the point C’. We have AB ′ .AB = AC ′ .AC
We also easily see:

x1 .B ′ C ′ ≥ p2 .AC ′ + p3 .AB ′
or
AC ′ AB ′ sinC sinB
x1 ≥ p 2 . ′ ′
+ p 3 . ′ ′
= p3 + p3 . etc.
BC BC sinA sinA

Figure 7:

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 Proof 8
The circle ABC intersects the line AM to the point A’. The Ptolemy’s theo-
rem to the inscribed ABA’C is:

AA′ .BC = A′ C.AB + A′ B.AC

Let A’D and A’E the distances of the point A’ from AC and AB respectively.
Obviously A′ C ≥ A′ D and A′ B ≥ A′ E
Therefore
AA′ .a ≥ A′ D.c + A′ E.b
or
A′ D.c A′ E.b
1≥ +
AA′ .a AA′ .a
but,
A′ D p2 A′ E p3
′
= , and ′
=
AA x1 AA x1
Hance,
c b
x1 ≥ p 2 + p 3
a a
etc.

Figure 8:

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 Proof 9
The line DM inersects the circle AFE at the point A’. The triangle A’FE is
similar to the triangle ACB. Let de , df , the distances of the points E and
F from A’M.
We obviously have: A′ E.M E = 2Rde , and A′ F.F M = 2RdF , where R is
the radius of the circle AEF.
Adding we take

A′ E A′ F
p2 .A′ E + p3 .A′ F ≥ x1 .F E or x1 ≥ p2 . +
FE FE
or
sinC sinB
x1 ≥ p 2 . + p3 .
sinA sinA
etc.

Figure 9:

10
 Proof 10
The circle BMC intersects the line AM to the point A’ and the sides AB and
AC to the points B’ and C’ respectively. Wewill have:

x1 .B ′ C ′ ≥ p3 .AB ′ + p2 .AC ′

The triangles AB’C’ and ACB are similar. Therefore

AB ′ AC ′ b c
x1 ≥ p 3 . + p . = p 3 + p 2
B′C ′ B′C ′ a a
etc.

Figure 10:

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 Proof 11
The circle BMC intersects AM in A’ AB in B’ and AC in C’. The triagles
AMB and ABA’ are similar as well the triangles AMC and ACA’.Therefore
from
p3 AM
= f ollows p3 .AB = AM.B1
BB1 AB
and
p2 AM
= f ollows p2 .AC = AM.CC1
CC1 AC
Hence
p3 c + p2 b = AM (BB! + CC1 ) ≤ AM.a
and finaly
c b
p3 + p2 ≤ x1 . etc.
a a

Figure 11:

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 Proof 12
Let P be a point on the side BC so that 6 BAD = 6 P AC.We have AP.BC ≥
P E ′ .b + P F ′ .C where by E’,F’ are the feets of the perpendiculars from P to
AB. AC respectively.
We easily see that:
P E′ b P F ′ c
1≥ . + .
AP a AP a
but,
P E′ p3 PF′ p2
= , =
AP x1 AP x1
and finaly
p3 b p2 c
1≥ +
x1 a x1 a
etc.

Figure 12:

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 Proof 13
We consider the circle AFME. The parallel line from m to EF intersects
the circle to the point M’. Then we drop the perpenticulars M’E’, M’F’ to
AC,AB respectively. We denote M ′ E ′ = p′2 , M ′ F ′ = p′3 . We also see that
arc EM=arc M’F. It follows:
p′3 p2 p′2 p3
′
= , ′
=
AM AM AM AM
We obviously have:
AM ′ .a ≥ p′2 .c + p′3 .b
or
p′2 c p′3 b p2 c p3 b
1≥ + = +
AM ′ a AM ′ x1 a x1 a
etc.

Figure 13:

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