Coordinate system based on distances from the sidelines of a given triangle
Ingeometry, the trilinear coordinatesx : y : z of a point relative to a given triangle describe the relative directed distances from the three sidelines of the triangle. Trilinear coordinates are an example of homogeneous coordinates. The ratio x : y is the ratio of the perpendicular distances from the point to the sides (extended if necessary) opposite verticesA and B respectively; the ratio y : z is the ratio of the perpendicular distances from the point to the sidelines opposite vertices B and C respectively; and likewise for z : x and vertices C and A.
In the diagram at right, the trilinear coordinates of the indicated interior point are the actual distances (a', b', c'), or equivalently in ratio form, ka' : kb' : kc' for any positive constant k. If a point is on a sideline of the reference triangle, its corresponding trilinear coordinate is 0. If an exterior point is on the opposite side of a sideline from the interior of the triangle, its trilinear coordinate associated with that sideline is negative. It is impossible for all three trilinear coordinates to be non-positive.
The ratio notation for trilinear coordinates is often used in preference to the ordered triple notation with the latter reserved for triples of directed distances relative to a specific triangle. The trilinear coordinates can be rescaled by any arbitrary value without affecting their ratio. The bracketed, comma-separated triple notation can cause confusion because conventionally this represents a different triple than e.g. but these equivalent ratios represent the same point.
The trilinear coordinates of the incenter of a triangle △ABC are 1 : 1 : 1; that is, the (directed) distances from the incenter to the sidelines BC, CA, AB are proportional to the actual distances denoted by (r, r, r), where r is the inradius of △ABC. Given side lengths a, b, c we have:
Intersection of the symmedians – the reflection of each median about the corresponding angle bisector
Note that, in general, the incenter is not the same as the centroid; the centroid has barycentric coordinates1 : 1 : 1 (these being proportional to actual signed areas of the triangles △BGC, △CGA, △AGB, where G = centroid.)
The midpoint of, for example, side BC has trilinear coordinates in actual sideline distances for triangle area Δ, which in arbitrarily specified relative distances simplifies to 0 : ca : ab. The coordinates in actual sideline distances of the foot of the altitude from AtoBC are which in purely relative distances simplifies to 0 : cos C : cos B.[1]: p. 96
equals zero. Thus if x : y : z is a variable point, the equation of a line through the points P and UisD = 0.[1]: p. 23 From this, every straight line has a linear equation homogeneous in x, y, z. Every equation of the form in real coefficients is a real straight line of finite points unless l : m : n is proportional to a : b : c, the side lengths, in which case we have the locus of points at infinity.[1]: p. 40
The dual of this proposition is that the lines
concur in a point (α, β, γ) if and only if D = 0.[1]: p. 28
Also, if the actual directed distances are used when evaluating the determinant of D, then the area of triangle △PUXisKD, where (and where Δ is the area of triangle △ABC, as above) if triangle △PUX has the same orientation (clockwise or counterclockwise) as △ABC, and otherwise.
The trilinears with the coordinate values a', b', c' being the actual perpendicular distances to the sides satisfy[1]: p. 11
for triangle sides a, b, c and area Δ. This can be seen in the figure at the top of this article, with interior point P partitioning triangle △ABC into three triangles △PBC, △PCA, △PAB with respective areas
The equation in trilinear coordinates x, y, z of any circumconic of a triangle is[1]: p. 192
If the parameters l, m, n respectively equal the side lengths a, b, c (or the sines of the angles opposite them) then the equation gives the circumcircle.[1]: p. 199
Each distinct circumconic has a center unique to itself. The equation in trilinear coordinates of the circumconic with center x' : y' : z' is[1]: p. 203
Many cubic curves are easily represented using trilinear coordinates. For example, the pivotal self-isoconjugate cubic Z(U, P), as the locus of a point X such that the P-isoconjugate of X is on the line UX is given by the determinant equation
For any choice of trilinear coordinates x : y : z to locate a point, the actual distances of the point from the sidelines are given by a' = kx, b' = ky, c' = kz where k can be determined by the formula in which a, b, c are the respective sidelengths BC, CA, AB, and ∆ is the area of △ABC.
A point with trilinear coordinates x : y : z has barycentric coordinatesax : by : cz where a, b, c are the sidelengths of the triangle. Conversely, a point with barycentrics α : β : γ has trilinear coordinates
Given a reference triangle △ABC, express the position of the vertex B in terms of an ordered pair of Cartesian coordinates and represent this algebraically as a vector using vertex C as the origin. Similarly define the position vector of vertex Aas Then any point P associated with the reference triangle △ABC can be defined in a Cartesian system as a vector If this point P has trilinear coordinates x : y : z then the conversion formula from the coefficients k1 and k2 in the Cartesian representation to the trilinear coordinates is, for side lengths a, b, c opposite vertices A, B, C,
and the conversion formula from the trilinear coordinates to the coefficients in the Cartesian representation is
More generally, if an arbitrary origin is chosen where the Cartesian coordinates of the vertices are known and represented by the vectors and if the point P has trilinear coordinates x : y : z, then the Cartesian coordinates of are the weighted average of the Cartesian coordinates of these vertices using the barycentric coordinates ax, by, cz as the weights. Hence the conversion formula from the trilinear coordinates x, y, z to the vector of Cartesian coordinates of the point is given by