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Free Math Study Group

Incenter of a Triangle
Geometry construction using a compass and straightedge
Step-by-step Instructions Printer friendly version
After doing this Your work should look like this
We start with the given triangle. Geometry construction with compass and straightedge or ruler or ruler
1.  Place the compass point on any of the triangle's vertices. Adjust the compass to a medium width setting. The exact width is not important. Geometry construction with compass and straightedge or ruler or ruler
2.  Without changing the compass width, strike an arc across each adjacent side. Geometry construction with compass and straightedge or ruler or ruler
3.  Change the compass width if desired, then from the point where each arc crosses the side, draw two arcs inside the triangle so that they cross each other, using the same compass width for each. Geometry construction with compass and straightedge or ruler or ruler
4.  Using the straightedge, draw a line from the vertex of the triangle to where the last two arcs cross. Geometry construction with compass and straightedge or ruler or ruler
5.  Repeat all of the above at any other vertex of the triangle. You will now have two new lines drawn. Geometry construction with compass and straightedge or ruler or ruler
6.  Done. Mark a point where the two new lines intersect. This is the incenter of the triangle. Geometry construction with compass and straightedge or ruler or ruler
7.  (Optional) Repeat steps 1-4 for the third vertex. This will convince you that the three angle bisectors do, in fact, always intersect at a single point. But two are enough to find that point.  

Explanation of method

As can be seen in Incenter of a Triangle, the three angle bisectors of any triangle always pass through its incenter. In this construction, we only use two, as this is sufficient to define the point where they intersect. We bisect the two angles using the method described in Bisecting an Angle. The point where the bisectors cross is the incenter.

The incenter you just constructed is the center of the triangle's incircle. See Constructing the incircle of a triangle.

Try it yourself
Click here for a printable incenter worksheet containing two problems to try. When you get to the page, use the browser print command to print as many as you wish. The printed output is not copyright.

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