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Geometry Difficulty 5.7 AIME, harder Prove it Brazil

ff is a map on the plane such that two points a distance 11 apart are always taken to two points a distance 11 apart. Show that for any dd, ff takes two points a distance dd apart to two points a distance dd apart.

Solution

Observe first that the images of equilateral triangles of side 11 are equilateral triangles of side 11. Consider two equilateral triangles ABCABC and ABCA'B'C with side 11 and a common side. Notice that AA=3AA' = \sqrt{3} and f(A)f(A)=0f(A)f(A') = 0 or 3\sqrt{3}. If f(A)=f(A)f(A) = f(A'), then consider BB such that AB=1AB = 1 and AB=3A'B = \sqrt{3}, so f(A)f(B)=1f(A)f(B)=1f(A)f(B) = 1 \Leftrightarrow f(A')f(B) = 1, contradiction. So f(A)f(A)=3f(A)f(A') = \sqrt{3} and all points 3\sqrt{3} apart are taken to two points 3\sqrt{3} apart.

So any triangular lattice is taken to a triangular lattice. In particular, any triangle with sides 11, n2n+1\sqrt{n^2-n+1} and n2+n+1\sqrt{n^2+n+1} are preserved by ff.

Figure 1

Consider two different triangles ABCABC and ABCAB'C such that BC=BC=1B'C = BC = 1, AB=AB=n2n+1AB = AB' = \sqrt{n^2-n+1} and AC=n2+n+1AC = \sqrt{n^2+n+1}. Notice that BB=3n2+n+1BB' = \sqrt{\frac{3}{n^2+n+1}}. Let ϵn=3n2+n+1\epsilon_n = \sqrt{\frac{3}{n^2+n+1}}. Again, f(B)f(B)=0f(B)f(B') = 0 or ϵn\epsilon_n. If B=A0B = A_0 and B=A1B' = A_1 and f(B)=f(B)f(B) = f(B'), let kk be an integer such that kϵn<1(k+1)ϵnk\epsilon_n < 1 \le (k+1)\epsilon_n and A2,A3,,Ak+1A_2, A_3, \dots, A_{k+1} points such that AiAi+1=ϵnA_iA_{i+1} = \epsilon_n, i=0,1,2,,ki = 0, 1, 2, \dots, k, and A0Ak+1=1A_0A_{k+1} = 1. We have f(A0)f(Ak+1)=1f(A_0)f(A_{k+1}) = 1, so by the triangle inequality,

1=f(A0Ak+1)f(A0)f(A1)+f(A1)f(A2)++f(Ak)f(Ak+1)f(A0)f(A1)+kϵn<1, 1 = f(A_0A_{k+1}) \le f(A_0)f(A_1) + f(A_1)f(A_2) + \dots + f(A_k)f(A_{k+1}) \\ \le f(A_0)f(A_1) + k\epsilon_n < 1,

which is a contradiction. So f(A0)f(A1)=ϵnf(A_0)f(A_1) = \epsilon_n for all points A0,A1A_0, A_1, ϵn\epsilon_n apart. Moreover, if AB=mϵnAB = m\epsilon_n, mm positive integer, f(A)f(B)=mϵnf(A)f(B) = m\epsilon_n.

Now let XX and YY be two arbitrary points and suppose that f(X)f(Y)XYf(X)f(Y) \ne XY. Choose nn such that XYf(X)f(Y)>4ϵn|XY - f(X)f(Y)| > 4\epsilon_n and PP such that PX=mϵnPX = m\epsilon_n, mm integer, and PY=2ϵnPY = 2\epsilon_n. Then f(X)f(P)=XP=mϵnf(X)f(P) = XP = m\epsilon_n, f(Y)f(P)=2ϵnf(Y)f(P) = 2\epsilon_n and f(X)f(Y)XYf(X)f(Y)f(P)f(X)+f(P)f(X)XY=|f(X)f(Y) - XY| \le |f(X)f(Y) - f(P)f(X)| + |f(P)f(X) - XY| =

f(X)f(Y)f(P)f(X)+PXXYf(Y)f(P)+PY=4ϵn|f(X)f(Y) - f(P)f(X)| + |PX - XY| \le f(Y)f(P) + PY = 4\epsilon_n, contradiction.

So f(X)f(Y)=XYf(X)f(Y) = XY for all points XX, YY.

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