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Geometry Difficulty 6.8 National Olympiad Prove it Hong Kong

Let ABC\triangle ABC be an isosceles triangle with AB=ACAB = AC. The incircle Γ\Gamma of ABC\triangle ABC has centre II, and it is tangent to the sides ABAB and ACAC at FF and EE respectively. Let Ω\Omega be the circumcircle of AFE\triangle AFE. The two external common tangents of Γ\Gamma and Ω\Omega intersect at a point PP. If one of these external common tangents is parallel to ACAC, prove that PBI=90\angle PBI = 90^\circ.

Solution

Since AFI=AEI=90\angle AFI = \angle AEI = 90^\circ, the point II lies on Ω\Omega and the centre of Ω\Omega is the midpoint OO of AIAI. Note that PP lies on the line joining the centres of Γ\Gamma and Ω\Omega. In other words, PP lies on the line IOIO. As AB=ACAB = AC, the line AIAI is simply the internal angle bisector of BAC\angle BAC. In order to show that BPBP is perpendicular to the angle bisector BIBI of CBA\angle CBA, it is the same as proving PP is the excentre of ABC\triangle ABC opposite to the vertex AA.

Figure 1

Let TT be the point on Γ\Gamma such that PTPT is tangent to Γ\Gamma and TP//ACTP//AC. Since the tangents at TT and EE to Γ\Gamma are parallel, TETE is a diameter of Γ\Gamma. This shows II is the midpoint of TETE. It follows from AE//PTAE//PT that AIEPIT\triangle AIE \cong \triangle PIT. Thus, AI=PIAI = PI. Together with AO=OIAO = OI, we find that AO:OI:IP=1:1:2AO : OI : IP = 1 : 1 : 2.

Note that PP is the centre of homothety between Γ\Gamma and Ω\Omega. Therefore, PIPO\frac{PI}{PO} is the ratio of similitude, i.e. the ratio 2IEAI\frac{2IE}{AI} of the diameters of the two circles. Thus, we have 2IEAI=23\frac{2IE}{AI} = \frac{2}{3}.

Let DD be the midpoint of BCBC. As AB=ACAB = AC, DD is also the contact point of Γ\Gamma with BCBC. From AEI=ADC=90\angle AEI = \angle ADC = 90^\circ, we obtain AEIADC\triangle AEI \sim \triangle ADC. Therefore, CDAC=IEAI=13\frac{CD}{AC} = \frac{IE}{AI} = \frac{1}{3}. Let AB=AC=3kAB = AC = 3k so that BD=CD=kBD = CD = k.

Let PP' be the AA-excentre of ABC\triangle ABC. Our goal is to show that AI=IPAI = IP', so that P=PP' = P as desired. Firstly, since AD=(3k)2k2=22kAD = \sqrt{(3k)^2 - k^2} = 2\sqrt{2}k and AIID=ABBD=3\frac{AI}{ID} = \frac{AB}{BD} = 3 by the angle bisector theorem, we have
AI=22k×33+1=322k. AI = 2\sqrt{2}k \times \frac{3}{3+1} = \frac{3\sqrt{2}}{2}k.
Secondly, we have APPD=ABBD=3\frac{AP'}{P'D} = \frac{AB}{BD} = 3 by the external angle bisector theorem. It follows that
AP=22k×331=32k=2AI. AP' = 2\sqrt{2}k \times \frac{3}{3-1} = 3\sqrt{2}k = 2AI.
Therefore, AI=IPAI = IP', and we are done.

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