Maths Olympiad Prep

Library / /56 of 82

Geometry Difficulty 5.3 AIME, harder Prove it United States

Problem:

ABAB is a diameter of circle OO. XX is a point on ABAB such that AX=3BXAX = 3 BX. Distinct circles ω1\omega_1 and ω2\omega_2 are tangent to OO at T1T_1 and T2T_2 and to ABAB at XX. The lines T1XT_1 X and T2XT_2 X intersect OO again at S1S_1 and S2S_2. What is the ratio T1T2S1S2\frac{T_1 T_2}{S_1 S_2}?

Solution

Solution:

Answer: 35\frac{3}{5}

Since the problem only deals with ratios, we can assume that the radius of OO is 11. As we have proven in Problem 5, points S1S_1 and S2S_2 are midpoints of arc ABAB. Since ABAB is a diameter, S1S2S_1 S_2 is also a diameter, and thus S1S2=2S_1 S_2 = 2.

Let O1O_1, O2O_2, and PP denote the centers of circles ω1\omega_1, ω2\omega_2, and OO. Since ω1\omega_1 is tangent to OO, we have PO1+O1X=1PO_1 + O_1 X = 1. But O1XABO_1 X \perp AB. So PO1X\triangle PO_1 X is a right triangle, and O1X2+XP2=O1P2O_1 X^2 + XP^2 = O_1 P^2. Thus, O1X2+1/4=(1O1X)2O_1 X^2 + 1/4 = (1 - O_1 X)^2, which means O1X=38O_1 X = \frac{3}{8} and O1P=58O_1 P = \frac{5}{8}.

Since T1T2O1O2T_1 T_2 \parallel O_1 O_2, we have T1T2=O1O2PT1PO1=2O1XPT1PO1=2(38)15/8=65T_1 T_2 = O_1 O_2 \cdot \frac{PT_1}{PO_1} = 2 O_1 X \cdot \frac{PT_1}{PO_1} = 2 \left(\frac{3}{8}\right) \frac{1}{5/8} = \frac{6}{5}. Thus T1T2S1S2=6/52=35\frac{T_1 T_2}{S_1 S_2} = \frac{6/5}{2} = \frac{3}{5}.

Want a route through all this instead of an archive? The track puts 2,000 problems in a working order, from AMC 10 level to the IMO shortlist.

Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement reproduced verbatim; metadata (topic, difficulty) added by this project.