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Local Mathematical Competitions

Geometry Difficulty 6.6 National Olympiad Prove it Romania

Let ω\omega be a circle in the plane and A,BA,B two points lying on it. We denote by MM the midpoint of ABAB and let P≠MP \neq M be a new point on ABAB. Build circles γ\gamma and δ\delta tangent to ABAB at PP and to ω\omega at CC, respectively DD. Consider EE to be the point diametrically opposed to DD in ω\omega. Prove that the circumcenter of △BMC\triangle BMC lies on the line BEBE.
Flavian Georgescu

Solution

Let us begin by noticing that since DEDE is a diameter, we have ∠DBE=90∘\angle DBE = 90^\circ, and if the circumcenter of △BMC\triangle BMC would lie on BEBE, we could conclude that DBDB is tangent to the circumcircle of △BMC\triangle BMC. Thus ∠DBA≡∠BCM\angle DBA \equiv \angle BCM. Now since AA, BB, CC, DD are on ω\omega, we have ∠DBA≡∠DCA\angle DBA \equiv \angle DCA, so the problem is equivalent to ∠BCM≡∠DCA\angle BCM \equiv \angle DCA.
Then we must prove that CDCD and CMCM are isogonal conjugates in the triangle △BCA\triangle BCA, thus the quadrilateral ABCDABCD is harmonic, which means ACCB=ADDB\frac{AC}{CB} = \frac{AD}{DB}.
This follows from the fact that since CDCD and CMCM are isogonal conjugates, we have
sin⁡∠BCDsin⁡∠ACD=sin⁡∠ACMsin⁡∠BCM. \frac{\sin \angle BCD}{\sin \angle ACD} = \frac{\sin \angle ACM}{\sin \angle BCM}.
From the sine theorem we know
sin⁡∠BCDsin⁡∠ACD=BDDA. \frac{\sin \angle BCD}{\sin \angle ACD} = \frac{BD}{DA}.
We also easily obtain
sin⁡∠ACMsin⁡∠BCM=BCAC \frac{\sin \angle ACM}{\sin \angle BCM} = \frac{BC}{AC}
from the fact that MM is midpoint, and thus
area(BMC)=area(ACM). \text{area}(BMC) = \text{area}(ACM).

LEMMA (Archimedes). Let CC be a circle, PP and QQ two points on it, and RR a point on PQPQ. Let ω\omega be one of the two circles tangent to CC at SS, and to PQPQ at RR. Then SRSR is the angle bisector of ∠PSQ\angle PSQ.
Figure 1

Proof. Let us denote by OO and O1O_1 the centers of the circles CC, respectively ω\omega. Let RS∩C={T}RS \cap C = \{T\}. Let us note that the triangles △RO1S\triangle RO_1S and △TSO\triangle TSO are isosceles triangles in OO and O1O_1, and that ∠TSO=∠RSO1\angle TSO = \angle RSO_1. We conclude that RO1∥TORO_1 \parallel TO. Since RO1⊥PQRO_1 \perp PQ we deduce TO⊥PQTO \perp PQ, so indeed TT is the midpoint of arc PQPQ. □\square

Using this LEMMA we get (DPDP to be the angle bisector of ∠ADB\angle ADB and (CPCP the angle bisector of ∠ACB\angle ACB), so from the angle bisector theorem ADDB=ACCB=APBP\frac{AD}{DB} = \frac{AC}{CB} = \frac{AP}{BP}.

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