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Geometry Difficulty 8.4 Shortlist Prove it Slovenia

Let ABCABC be an acute triangle and let DD be a point on the side ABAB. The circumcircle of the triangle BCDBCD intersects the side ACAC at EE. The circumcircle of the triangle ADCADC intersects the side BCBC at FF. Let OO be the circumcentre of the triangle CEFCEF. Prove that the points DD and OO and the circumcentres of the triangles ADEADE, ADCADC, DBFDBF and DBCDBC are concyclic and the line ODOD is perpendicular to ABAB.

Solution

Let O1,O2,O3O_1, O_2, O_3 and O4O_4 be the circumcentres of the triangles ADEADE, ADCADC, BFDBFD and BCDBCD. The line O1O2O_1O_2 bisects the segment ADAD and the two are perpendicular. Similarly, O3O4O_3O_4 bisects the segment DBDB and these two are perpendicular as well.

Figure 1

Denote the angles of the triangle by α\alpha, β\beta and γ\gamma and let T1,T2,T3,T4T_1, T_2, T_3, T_4 and T5T_5 be the midpoints of the segments ADAD, CFCF, BDBD, CECE and CDCD.
We will be using directed angles as this will shorten the calculation. The quadrilateral ADFCADFC is cyclic, so DFB=DFC=DAC=α\angle DFB = \angle DFC = \angle DAC = \alpha. Since O3O_3 is the circumcentre of the triangle DBFDBF and DBFDBF is an acute triangle, we have DO3T3=DFB=α\angle DO_3T_3 = \angle DFB = \alpha. Since O2O_2 is the circumcentre of the triangle ADCADC, we have DO2T5=DAC=α\angle DO_2T_5 = \angle DAC = \alpha (we used the fact that DAC\angle DAC is an acute angle).
The points O2,T5O_2, T_5 and O4O_4 are collinear, so DO2O4=DO2T5=α=DO3T3=DO3O4\angle DO_2O_4 = \angle DO_2T_5 = \alpha = \angle DO_3T_3 = \angle DO_3O_4 and DO2O4=DO3O4\angle DO_2O_4 = \angle DO_3O_4. Hence, the points O2,O3,O4O_2, O_3, O_4 and DD are concyclic.
A similar argument (but for the angle β\beta) shows that O4,D,O1O_4, D, O_1 and O2O_2 are concyclic. Thus, O1O_1 and O3O_3 lie on the circuncircle of the triangle O2O4DO_2O_4D. We know that DO2O4=α\angle DO_2O_4 = \alpha and O2O4D=β\angle O_2O_4D = \beta. So O4DO2=γ\angle O_4DO_2 = \gamma. On the other hand, the quadrilateral CT4OT2CT_4OT_2 is cyclic, so T4OT2=T4CT2=γ\angle T_4OT_2 = \angle T_4CT_2 = \gamma. Since T2,O,O2T_2, O, O_2 are collinear and T4,O,O4T_4, O, O_4 are collinear, we get O4OO2=T4OT2=γ=O4DO2\angle O_4OO_2 = \angle T_4OT_2 = \gamma = \angle O_4DO_2 and OO lies on the circuncircle of the triangle O2DO4O_2DO_4. Hence, the points O1,O2,O3,O4,OO_1, O_2, O_3, O_4, O and DD are concyclic.

We have
OO4O3=T4O4E+EO4D+DO4T3=CBE+EBD+EBD+DEB=CBD+EDB=β+γ \begin{aligned} \angle OO_4O_3 &= \angle T_4O_4E + \angle EO_4D + \angle DO_4T_3 \\ &= \angle CBE + \angle EBD + \angle EBD + \angle DEB \\ &= \angle CBD + \angle EDB \\ &= \beta + \gamma \end{aligned}
and DOO4=DO3O4=α\angle DOO_4 = \angle DO_3O_4 = \alpha. So ODOD is parallel to O3O4O_3O_4, which is perpendicular to ABAB.

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