In elementary plane geometry, the power of a point is a real number that reflects the relative distance of a given point from a given circle. It was introduced by Jakob Steiner in 1826.
Specifically, the power of a point with respect to a circle with center and radius is defined by
If is outside the circle, then , if is on the circle, then and if is inside the circle, then .
Due to the Pythagorean theorem the number has the simple geometric meanings shown in the diagram: For a point outside the circle is the squared tangential distance of point to the circle .
Points with equal power, isolines of , are circles concentric to circle .
Steiner used the power of a point for proofs of several statements on circles, for example: Determination of a circle, that intersects four circles by the same angle. Solving the Problem of Apollonius Construction of the Malfatti circles: For a given triangle determine three circles, which touch each other and two sides of the triangle each. Spherical version of Malfatti's problem: The triangle is a spherical one.
Essential tools for investigations on circles are the radical axis of two circles and the radical center of three circles.
The power diagram of a set of circles divides the plane into regions within which the circle minimizing the power is constant.
More generally, French mathematician Edmond Laguerre defined the power of a point with respect to any algebraic curve in a similar way.
Geometric properties
Besides the properties mentioned in the lead there are further properties:
Orthogonal circle
For any point outside of the circle there are two tangent points on circle , which have equal distance to . Hence the circle with center through passes , too, and intersects orthogonal: The circle with center and radius intersects circle orthogonal.
If the radius of the circle centered at is different from one gets the angle of intersection between the two circles applying the Law of cosines (see the diagram):
( and are normals to the circle tangents.)
If lies inside the blue circle, then and is always different from .
If the angle is given, then one gets the radius by solving the quadratic equation .
Intersecting secants theorem, intersecting chords theorem
For the intersecting secants theorem and chord theorem the power of a point plays the role of an invariant:
Intersecting secants theorem: For a point outside a circle and the intersection points of a secant line with the following statement is true: , hence the product is independent of line . If is tangent then and the statement is the tangent-secant theorem. Intersecting chords theorem: For a point inside a circle and the intersection points of a secant line with the following statement is true: , hence the product is independent of line .
Radical axis
Let be a point and two non concentric circles with
centers and radii . Point has the power with respect to circle . The set of all points with is a line called radical axis. It contains possible common points of the circles and is perpendicular to line .
Secants theorem, chords theorem: common proof
Both theorems, including the tangent-secant theorem, can be proven uniformly:
Let be a point, a circle with the origin as its center and an arbitrary unit vector. The parameters of possible common points of line (through ) and circle can be determined by inserting the parametric equation into the circle's equation:
From Vieta's theorem one finds: . (independent of !) is the power of with respect for circle .
Because of one gets the following statement for the points : , if is outside the circle, , if is inside the circle ( have different signs !).
In case of line is a tangent and the square of the tangential distance of point to circle .
Similarity points, common power of two circles
Similarity points
Similarity points are an essential tool for Steiner's investigations on circles.
Given two circles
A homothety (similarity) , that maps onto stretches (jolts) radius to and has its center on the line , because . If center is between the scale factor is . In the other case . In any case: . Inserting and solving for yields: .
Point is called the exterior similarity point and is called the inner similarity point.
In case of one gets . In case of : is the point at infinity of line and is the center of . In case of the circles touch each other at point inside (both circles on the same side of the common tangent line). In case of the circles touch each other at point outside (both circles on different sides of the common tangent line).