Hadwiger–Finsler inequality

In mathematics, the Hadwiger–Finsler inequality is a result on the geometry of triangles in the Euclidean plane. It states that if a triangle in the plane has side lengths a, b and c and area T, then

$a^{2} + b^{2} + c^{2} \geq (a - b)^{2} + (b - c)^{2} + (c - a)^{2} + 4 \sqrt{3} T \quad \mbox{(HF)}.$

Weitzenböck's inequality is a straightforward corollary of the Hadwiger–Finsler inequality: if a triangle in the plane has side lengths a, b and c and area T, then

$a^{2} + b^{2} + c^{2} \geq 4 \sqrt{3} T \quad \mbox{(W)}.$

Weitzenböck's inequality can also be proved using Heron's formula, by which route it can be seen that equality holds in (W) if and only if the triangle is an equilateral triangle, i.e. a = b = c.

The Hadwiger–Finsler inequality is named after Paul Finsler and Hugo Hadwiger (1937), who also published in the same paper the Finsler–Hadwiger theorem on a square derived from two other squares that share a vertex.

See also

• List of triangle inequalities

References

• Finsler, Paul; Hadwiger, Hugo (1937). "Einige Relationen im Dreieck". Commentarii Mathematici Helvetici 10 (1): 316–326. doi:10.1007/BF01214300.
• Claudi Alsina, Roger B. Nelsen: When Less is More: Visualizing Basic Inequalities. MAA, 2009, ISBN 9780883853429, pp. 84-86

External links

• Hadwiger-Finsler inequality at PlanetMath.org.
• Weizenbock's inequality at PlanetMath.org.