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Geometry Difficulty 5.8 AIME, harder Prove it China

In an isosceles right angled triangle ABC\triangle ABC, CA=CB=1CA = CB = 1, and PP is an arbitrary point on the perimeter of ABC\triangle ABC. Find the maximum value of PAPBPCPA \cdot PB \cdot PC. (posed by Li Weigu)

Solution

(1) In the first diagram, if PACP \in AC, we have PAPC14PA \cdot PC \le \frac{1}{4} and PB2PB \le \sqrt{2}. Thus PAPBPC24PA \cdot PB \cdot PC \le \frac{\sqrt{2}}{4}. The equality is not valid, since the two equality signs cannot be valid at the same time. Therefore PAPBPC<24PA \cdot PB \cdot PC < \frac{\sqrt{2}}{4}.

Figure 1

(2) In the second diagram, if PABP \in AB, write AP=x[0,2]AP = x \in [0, \sqrt{2}], then

Figure 2

Let t=x(2x)t = x(\sqrt{2} - x), then t[0,12]t \in [0, \frac{1}{2}] and f(x)=g(t)=t2(1t)f(x) = g(t) = t^2(1-t).

Note that g(t)=2t3t2=t(23t)g'(t) = 2t - 3t^2 = t(2 - 3t). Thus g(t)g(t) is increasing on [0,23][0, \frac{2}{3}] and f(x)g(12)=18f(x) \le g(\frac{1}{2}) = \frac{1}{8}. Therefore PAPBPC122=24PA \cdot PB \cdot PC \le \frac{1}{2\sqrt{2}} = \frac{\sqrt{2}}{4}. The equality is valid if and only if t=12t = \frac{1}{2} and x=22x = \frac{\sqrt{2}}{2}. So PP is the midpoint of ABAB.

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