Maths Olympiad Prep

Library / /48 of 120

, 2012

Geometry Difficulty 5.1 AIME, harder Prove it Saudi Arabia

Point PP lies inside quadrilateral ABCDABCD such that APD^=BPC^=90\widehat{APD} = \widehat{BPC} = 90^\circ and APDP=BPCPAP \cdot DP = BP \cdot CP. Let OO denote the circumcenter of triangle CDPCDP. Prove that line OPOP bisects segment ABAB.

Solution

Let MM be the midpoint of ABAB, and let EE be the point on line BPBP such that AEMPAE \parallel MP. Then PP is the midpoint of EBEB. Since APPB=CPPD\frac{AP}{PB} = \frac{CP}{PD}, we have APPE=CPPD\frac{AP}{PE} = \frac{CP}{PD}. Also, note that

EPC^=APD^=90\widehat{EPC} = \widehat{APD} = 90^\circ, so EPA^=DPC^\widehat{EPA} = \widehat{DPC}. These last two facts imply that triangles APEAPE and CPDCPD are similar.

Figure 1

From this we conclude that PAE^=PCD^\widehat{PAE} = \widehat{PCD}. Since AEMPAE \parallel MP, MPA^=PAE^=PCD^\widehat{MPA} = \widehat{PAE} = \widehat{PCD}. Take a point OO' on ray MPMP past PP. Then

OPD^=180APD^MPA^=90PCD^=OPD^. \widehat{O'PD} = 180^\circ - \widehat{APD} - \widehat{MPA} = 90^\circ - \widehat{PCD} = \widehat{OPD}.

Therefore M,P,OM, P, O are collinear, which completes the proof.

Want a route through all this instead of an archive? The track puts 2,000 problems in a working order, from AMC 10 level to the IMO shortlist.

Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement and solution reproduced as published; topic and difficulty added by this site.