Ptolemy's Theorem

Ptolemy's theorem gives a relationship between the side lengths and the diagonals of a cyclic quadrilateral; it is the equality case of the Ptolemy inequality. Ptolemy's theorem frequently shows up as an intermediate step in problems involving inscribed figures.

Definition

Given a cyclic quadrilateral with side lengths and diagonals :

.

Example

In a regular heptagon ABCDEFG, prove that: 1/AB = 1/AC + 1/AD.

Solution: Let ABCDEFG be the regular heptagon. Consider the quadrilateral ABCE. If a, b, and c represent the lengths of the side, the short diagonal, and the long diagonal respectively, then the lengths of the sides of ABCE are a, a, b and c; and the diagonals of ABCE are b and c, respectively.

Now Ptolemy's theorem states that ab + ac = bc, which is equivalent to 1/a=1/b+1/c.