Asuhayama Shrine (1875b), Ibara-cho, Ibara City, Okayama Prefecture (04)


Problem

As shown in the figure, there are two circles, a larger and a smaller, inside a right triangle, which touch each side.

The two circles are in contact across the oblique line $AD$ drawn from the point $A$ to the side $BC$.

When you know $BD$, $∠ABD$, and $∠ADC$, find the diameters of the larger and smaller circles.


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Solution

Let $BD=a, \ ∠ABD=α$, and $∠ADC=β$.
Let the diameters of the greater and the smaller circles be $d_1$ and $d_2$, respectively.
Let the foot of the perpendicular line drawn from the point $D$ to the side $AB$ be $H$.
For the right-angled triangle $∆BDH$,
$$\frac{DH}{BD}=\frac{DH}{a}=sin⁡α,$$
$$∴ \ DH=a×sin⁡α.\qquad [1]$$
Since $∠DAH=β-α$, for the right-angled triangle $∆ADH$,
$$\frac{DH}{AD}=sin⁡(β-α),$$
$$∴ \ AD=\frac{DH}{sin⁡(β-α)}. \qquad [2]$$
Substituting $[1]$ into $[2]$,
$$AD=\frac{a×sin⁡α}{sin⁡(β-α)}. \qquad [3]$$
For the right-angled triangle $∆ADC$,
$$\frac{DC}{AD}=cos⁡β,$$
$$DC=AD×cos⁡β,$$
$$∴ \ DC=\frac{a×sin⁡α×cos⁡β}{sin⁡(β-α)}. \qquad [4]$$
$$\frac{CA}{AD}=sin⁡β,$$
$$CA=AD×sin⁡β,$$
$$∴ \ CA=\frac{a×sin⁡α×sin⁡β}{sin⁡(β-α)}.$$
Since $d_1=DC+CA-AD$,
$$d_1=\frac{a×sin⁡α×cos⁡β+a×sin⁡α×sin⁡β-a×sin⁡α}{sin⁡(β-α)}$$
$$=\frac{a×sin⁡α×(cos⁡β+sin⁡β-1)}{sin⁡(β-α)}.$$
Next, regarding the right triangle $∆AGO’$, since $AG=AE$,
$$AG=AC-\frac{d_1}{2}$$
$$=\frac{a×sin⁡α×sin⁡β}{sin⁡(β-α)} -\frac{a×sin⁡α×(cos⁡β+sin⁡β-1)}{2 sin⁡(β-α)}$$
$$=\frac{2a×sin⁡α×sin⁡β-a×sin⁡α×(cos⁡β+sin⁡β-1)}{2 sin⁡(β-α)}$$
$$=\frac{a×sin⁡α×(sin⁡β-cos⁡β+1)}{2 sin⁡(β-α)}.$$
Since $∠GAO’=(β-α)/2$,
$$\frac{GO’}{AG}=\frac{2 sin⁡(β-α)}{a×sin⁡α×(sin⁡β-cos⁡β+1)}×\frac{d_2}{2}$$
$$=\frac{sin⁡(β-α)×d_2}{a×sin⁡α×(sin⁡β-cos⁡β+1)}$$
$$=tan\frac{β-α}{2}$$
$$∴ \ d_2=\frac{a×sin⁡α×(sin⁡β-cos⁡β+1)}{sin⁡(β-α)}×tan\frac{β-α}{2}.$$
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Reference

Yoshikazu Yamakawa, ed. (1997) Okayama ken no Sangaku (Sangaku in Okayama Prefecture), pp.44-45; pp.327-328.