Problem:
Let be the center of a circle . Points on are chosen such that the triangles , , are equilateral. Let be the midpoints of , , respectively. Prove that triangle also is equilateral.
Problem:
Let be the center of a circle . Points on are chosen such that the triangles , , are equilateral. Let be the midpoints of , , respectively. Prove that triangle also is equilateral.
Solution:
The simplest way to do this is using complex numbers. Let , a cube root of unity, and we have . Then a triangle is equilateral (with vertices labeled in counterclockwise order) iff segment is the rotation image of through angle ; representing the points by their values in the complex plane, this says or, equivalently, . In particular, when , we get .
Now, position the given points so that is at the origin; then the given yields , , . Also, clearly , , . Thus
giving what we need.