Maths Olympiad Prep

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Geometry Difficulty 5.6 AIME, harder Prove it United States

Problem:

Circles C1,C2,C3C_{1}, C_{2}, C_{3} have radius 11 and centers O,P,QO, P, Q respectively. C1C_{1} and C2C_{2} intersect at AA, C2C_{2} and C3C_{3} intersect at BB, C3C_{3} and C1C_{1} intersect at CC, in such a way that APB=60\angle A P B = 60^{\circ}, BQC=36\angle B Q C = 36^{\circ}, and COA=72\angle C O A = 72^{\circ}. Find angle ABCA B C (degrees).

Solution

Solution:

Using a little trig, we have BC=2sin18BC = 2 \sin 18, AC=2sin36AC = 2 \sin 36, and AB=2sin30AB = 2 \sin 30 (see left diagram). Call these a,ba, b, and cc, respectively. By the law of cosines, b2=a2+c22accosABCb^{2} = a^{2} + c^{2} - 2 a c \cos ABC, therefore
cosABC=sin218+sin230sin2362sin18sin30. \cos ABC = \frac{\sin^{2} 18 + \sin^{2} 30 - \sin^{2} 36}{2 \sin 18 \sin 30}.
In the right diagram below we let x=2sin18x = 2 \sin 18 and see that x+x2=1x + x^{2} = 1, hence sin18=1+54\sin 18 = \frac{-1 + \sqrt{5}}{4}. Using whatever trig identities you prefer you can find that sin236=554\sin^{2} 36 = \frac{5 - \sqrt{5}}{4}, and of course sin30=12\sin 30 = \frac{1}{2}. Now simplification yields sin218+sin230sin236=0\sin^{2} 18 + \sin^{2} 30 - \sin^{2} 36 = 0, so ABC=90\angle ABC = \mathbf{90}^{\circ}.

Note that this means that if a regular pentagon, hexagon, and decagon are inscribed in a circle, then we can take one side from each and form a right triangle.

Figure 1

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