Given a right isosceles triangle ABC and its circumcircle, inscribed a square
DEFG with a side F G along the hypotenuse AB. If the side DE is extended to
intersect the circumcircle at P, then E divides DP in the golden ratio (see Figure
1). This is reminiscent of the golden section by Odom’s construction [2]; see also
[1].
B A
C
D E
G F
P
Figure 1
B O A
C
D E
G F
Q P
Figure 2
A simple construction of the inscribed square (see Figure 2) leads to a simple
calculation giving the ratio DP
DE =
√5+1
2 , the golden ratio. We give a synthetic
proof here.
From the similarity of the isosceles right triangles DEC and AEF, we have
DE
EC = AE
EF =⇒ DE2 = DE · EF = AE · EC.
If the line DE intersects the circumcircle again at Q, then EQ = DP. By the
intersecting chords theorem, AE · EC = P E · EQ = P E · DP. Therefore,
DE2 = EP · DP, and E divides DP in the golden ratio.