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T3mo, 2017

Geometry Difficulty 6.3 National Olympiad Prove it Thailand

Let HH be the orthocenter of an acute triangle ABCABC. The circumcircle of △BCH\triangle BCH intersects ABAB and ACAC again at points A1A_1 and A2A_2 respectively. Define points B1,B2,C1B_1, B_2, C_1 and C2C_2 analogously. Prove that the circumcenter of the triangle formed by lines A1A2,B1B2A_1A_2, B_1B_2, and C1C2C_1C_2 is on the Euler line with respect to △ABC\triangle ABC.

Solution

Let D,ED, E, and FF be the feet of the altitudes from A,BA, B, and CC, respectively with respect to △ABC\triangle ABC. Let B1B2B_1B_2 intersect C1C2C_1C_2 at KK, C1C2C_1C_2 intersects A1A2A_1A_2 at LL, and A1A2A_1A_2 intersects B1B2B_1B_2 at MM. Let OO be the circumcenter of △ABC\triangle ABC.
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We have
∠(KL,DE)=∠(KL,BC)+∠(BC,DE)=∠(C1C2,C2B)+∠(BD,DE)=∠(C1A,AB)+∠(BA,AE)=∠(CA,AB)+∠(AB,CA)=0 \begin{align*} \angle(KL, DE) &= \angle(KL, BC) + \angle(BC, DE) \\ &= \angle(C_1C_2, C_2B) + \angle(BD, DE) \\ &= \angle(C_1A, AB) + \angle(BA, AE) \\ &= \angle(CA, AB) + \angle(AB, CA) \\ &= 0 \end{align*}
Thus, KL∥DEKL \parallel DE, so LM∥EFLM \parallel EF and MK∥FDMK \parallel FD analogously.
Therefore, there is a homothety sending △DEF\triangle DEF to △KLM\triangle KLM. Call its center XX.
Consider
∠(FD,DH)=∠(FB,BH)=∠(FB,BE)=∠(FC,CE)=∠(HC,CE)=∠(HD,DE) \begin{align*} \angle(FD, DH) &= \angle(FB, BH) \\ &= \angle(FB, BE) \\ &= \angle(FC, CE) \\ &= \angle(HC, CE) \\ &= \angle(HD, DE) \end{align*}
Thus, HDHD is an angle bisector of ∠FDE\angle FDE. Similarly, we can show that HEHE and HFHF are angle bisectors of ∠DEF\angle DEF and ∠EFD\angle EFD, respectively. Hence, HH is either the incenter or an excenter of △DEF\triangle DEF. Since △ABC\triangle ABC is acute, we observe that HH is

inside △DEF\triangle DEF, and thus HH must be the incenter of △DEF\triangle DEF. We have
∠(HC2,C2C)=∠(HC2,C2B)=∠(HA,AB)=∠(DA,AF)=∠(DC,CF)=∠(C2C,CH) \begin{align*} \angle(HC_2, C_2C) &= \angle(HC_2, C_2B) \\ &= \angle(HA, AB) \\ &= \angle(DA, AF) \\ &= \angle(DC, CF) \\ &= \angle(C_2C, CH) \end{align*}
Thus, C2D→=DC→\overrightarrow{C_2D} = \overrightarrow{DC}, so B1D→=DB→\overrightarrow{B_1D} = \overrightarrow{DB}, A2E→=EA→\overrightarrow{A_2E} = \overrightarrow{EA}, C1E→=EC→\overrightarrow{C_1E} = \overrightarrow{EC}, B2F→=FB→\overrightarrow{B_2F} = \overrightarrow{FB}, and A1F→=FA→\overrightarrow{A_1F} = \overrightarrow{FA} analogously (where XY→\overrightarrow{XY} denotes the vector XYXY).
We have
∠(KC2,C2B1)=∠(ED,DB)=∠(EA,AB)=∠(CA,AF)=∠(CD,DF)=∠(C2B1,B1K) \begin{align*} \angle(KC_2, C_2B_1) &= \angle(ED, DB) \\ &= \angle(EA, AB) \\ &= \angle(CA, AF) \\ &= \angle(CD, DF) \\ &= \angle(C_2B_1, B_1K) \end{align*}
Thus, the internal angle bisector of ∠MKL\angle MKL is the perpendicular bisector of B1C2B_1C_2. Since B1C2B_1C_2 is the image of BCBC reflected about HDHD and the perpendicular bisector of BCBC passes through OO, the perpendicular bisector of B1C2B_1C_2 passes through the reflection of OO about HH, which we denote O′O'. Similarly, the internal angle bisectors of ∠KLM\angle KLM and ∠LMK\angle LMK also pass through O′O'. Therefore, O′O' is the incenter of △KLM\triangle KLM.
The incenters of △DEF\triangle DEF and △KLM\triangle KLM both are on ℓ\ell, the Euler line of △ABC\triangle ABC, so XX lies on ℓ\ell. Since the circumcenter of △DEF\triangle DEF (the nine point center of △ABC\triangle ABC) lies on ℓ\ell, and XX lies on ℓ\ell, the circumcenter of △KLM\triangle KLM also lies on ℓ\ell, as required.

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