Show that if a rectangle is inscribed in a circle, then the point of intersection of its diagonals must lie at the centre of the circle.
Let be a rectangle inscribed in a circle. Let its diagonals and intersect at point . We need to show that is the centre of the circle.
Since is a rectangle, all its interior angles are . Consider triangle inside the rectangle. It is a right-angled triangle with the right angle at , and its hypotenuse is the diagonal .
A key property states that for a right-angled triangle, the circumcentre lies at the midpoint of the hypotenuse. The circle passing through the vertices of the rectangle also passes through , , and , making it the circumcircle of triangle .
Since the diagonals of a rectangle bisect each other, their point of intersection is the midpoint of the diagonal . Because is the hypotenuse of right-angled triangle , its midpoint is the circumcentre of the triangle.
As the circumcentre of triangle is the centre of its circumcircle, the point must be the centre of the circle in which the rectangle is inscribed. Similarly, is the midpoint of the hypotenuse of triangle . Hence, the point of intersection of the diagonals lies at the centre of the circle.
Explanation
The textbook context explicitly states that for a right-angled triangle, the circumcentre lies at the midpoint of the hypotenuse. By recognizing that a rectangle consists of right-angled triangles (like triangle ) whose hypotenuses are the diagonals of the rectangle, we can connect this property to the circle.
Since the circle circumscribes the rectangle, it also circumscribes these right-angled triangles. The intersection point of the rectangle's diagonals is the midpoint of the hypotenuse, making it the circumcentre and therefore the centre of the circle.
Solution Steps
Step 1: Let be a rectangle inscribed in a circle, with diagonals and intersecting at .
Step 2: Since is a rectangle, angle is , making triangle a right-angled triangle with hypotenuse .
Step 3: The circle is the circumcircle of triangle , so its centre is the circumcentre of triangle .
Step 4: Apply the property: For a right-angled triangle, the circumcentre lies at the midpoint of the hypotenuse.
Step 5: The diagonals of a rectangle bisect each other, so is the midpoint of (the hypotenuse). Thus, is the circumcentre, meaning is the centre of the circle.