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Geometry Difficulty 5.8 AIME, harder Prove it Russia

Let AMAM be a median of an acute triangle ABCABC, and let BHBH be the altitude. The line through MM perpendicular to AMAM meets the ray HBHB at KK. Given that MAC=30\angle MAC = 30^\circ, prove that AK=BCAK = BC.

Solutions — 2

Solution 1

The points AA, HH, MM, and KK lie on a circle ω\omega with diameter AKAK (see Fig. 4). Since MAH=30\angle MAH = 30^\circ, we have HM=AK/2HM = AK/2. On the other hand, BC=2HMBC = 2HM.

Solution 2

First solution. Since ANK=AMK=90\angle ANK = \angle AMK = 90^\circ, the points AA, HH, MM, and KK lie on a circle ω\omega with diameter AKAK (see Fig. 4). By the condition, the chord HMHM of this circle subtends the angle MAN=30\angle MAN = 30^\circ, so HM=2Rsin30=AK/2HM = 2R \sin 30^\circ = AK/2. On the other hand, HMHM is the median in the right triangle BHCBHC, so BC=2HM=AKBC = 2HM = AK, which is what was required to prove.

Second solution. Complete triangle ABCABC to parallelograms ABRCABRC and AQBCAQBC (see Fig. 5); then BP=AC=BQBP = AC = BQ and KHPQKH \perp PQ. Moreover, point MM is the midpoint of APAP (as the intersection point of the diagonals of parallelogram ABRCABRC). Therefore, lines MKMK and HKHK are the perpendicular bisectors of segments APAP and PQPQ. Consequently, point KK is the center of the circle Ω\Omega circumscribed about triangle APQAPQ. Furthermore, APQ=PAC=30\angle APQ = \angle PAC = 30^\circ, so the chord AQAQ of circle Ω\Omega is equal to the radius AKAK. Finally, from parallelogram AQBCAQBC we get BC=AQ=AKBC = AQ = AK.

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