Problem:
Let be a rectangle and let be interior points of sides and , respectively. Suppose that , , and that the points belong to the same circle.
What is the value of the ratio ?
Problem:
Let be a rectangle and let be interior points of sides and , respectively. Suppose that , , and that the points belong to the same circle.
What is the value of the ratio ?
Pick one
Solution:
The answer is (B). Since the quadrilateral is cyclic, we know that the angle is equal to the supplement of the angle , that is, to the angle . On the other hand, the angles and are equal, being alternate interior angles formed by the parallels and with the transversal . We therefore deduce that .
The right triangles and thus have an equal acute angle and, by hypothesis, equal hypotenuses , and are therefore congruent. In particular, holds, and since , the triangle is isosceles with respect to the base (besides being right-angled at ), so that the ratio between its hypotenuse and one of its legs is . It then holds that .