Optimal embedded and enclosing isosceles triangles

Abstract

Given a triangle $\Delta$, we study the problem of determining the smallest enclosing and largest embedded isosceles triangles of $\Delta$ with respect to area and perimeter. This problem was initially posed by Nandakumar and was first studied by Kiss, Pach, and Somlai, who showed that if $\Delta'$ is the smallest area isosceles triangle containing $\Delta$, then $\Delta'$ and $\Delta$ share a side and an angle. In the present paper, we prove that for any triangle $\Delta$, every maximum area isosceles triangle embedded in $\Delta$ and every maximum perimeter isosceles triangle embedded in $\Delta$ shares a side and an angle with $\Delta$. Somewhat surprisingly, the case of minimum perimeter enclosing triangles is different: there are infinite families of triangles $\Delta$ whose minimum perimeter isosceles containers do not share a side and an angle with $\Delta$.