Given a convex 2n-gon H with pairwise parallel opposite sides.
a) Prove that there exists a pair of the opposite sides of H which possesses the following property: there exists a straight line that is perpendicular to these sides and intersects each of them.
b) Are there any values of n such that for a convex 2n-gon there exist two pairs of its opposite sides for each of which the property described in a) holds?
Solution
b) there are no such n.
a) A diagonal of the convex 2n-gon is said to be main if there are n−1 vertices of this polygon between the vertices connected by this diagonal. Suppose that there exist a convex 2n-gon A0A1...A2n−1 such that its opposite sides are parallel (AiAi+1∥Ai+nAi+n+1, i=0,...,n−1, and A2n=An) and there is no pair of the opposite sides possessing the property described by the problem condition (there exists a straight line that is perpendicular to these sides and intersects each of them). Consider some two opposite sides AiAi+1 and Ai+nAi+n+1 of such 2n-gon. Let Oi be the intersection point of the lines AiAi+n and Ai+1Ai+n+1. Consider the triangles OiAiAi+1 and OiAi+nAi+n+1 (see Fig. 1).
Fig. 1 Fig. 2
Since AiAi+1∥Ai+nAi+n+1 we have ∠OiAiAi+1=∠OiAi+nAi+n+1 and ∠OiAi+nAi+n+1 (let α=∠OiAi+nAi+1 and β=∠OiAi+n+1Ai+n). If at least one of these angles is not obtuse, then there exists a straight line l that is perpendicular to the sides AiAi+1, Ai+nAi+n+1 and intersects each of them. For example, the line passing through Oi perpendicular to the side AiAi+1 can be considered as l. Therefore either α or β is greater than 90∘.
Any diagonal starting from the vertex of the angle of the 2n-gon partitions this angle into two angles (we call that these two angles are adjacent to this diagonal). Construct all main diagonals of the 2n-gon and number (in clockwise direction) all adjacent angles with the numbers from 1 to 4n (see Fig. 2). By the above either angle 1 or angle 4n is obtuse. Let, without loss of generality, angle 1 is obtuse. Then angle 2 is acute (any inner angle of a convex polygon is less than 180∘). From what has already been proved, it follows that angle 3 is obtuse, and so on. We see that all angles with odd numbers are obtuse, while all angles with even numbers are acute. So one of the adjacent angles is obtuse but the other is acute for any main diagonal. Consider the greatest of the main diagonals (one of them if there are more than one). Let AiAi+n be such diagonal (see Fig. 1) and let, without loss of generality, ∠OiAiAi+1=∠OiAi+nAi+n+1>90∘. Since in which is impossible since the diagonal AiAi+n is the greatest one. This contradiction proves that any convex 2n-gon with pairwise parallel opposite sides has a pair of the opposite sides such that there exists a straight line that is perpendicular to these sides and intersects each of them.
b) Consider a regular 2n-gon S with the vertices A0,A1,...,A2n−1 (A2n=A0). We choose the vector v satisfying the relations ∠(v,AiAi+1)=90∘ for i∈{0,...,2n−1},
Fig. 3
and ∣∠(v,A2n−1Ai)∣<180∘/n, (here ∠(v,v) is the angle between the vectors v and v). For any λ>0 we denote by Sλ the convex polygon with the vertices A0λ,A1λ,...,A2n−1λ, where Aiλ=Ai+λv for i from 0 to n−1 (from the inequality ∣∠(v,A2n−1Ai)∣<180∘/n it follows that the polygon Sλ is convex). In the polygon Sλ for λ large enough there exists a unique pair (A2n−1λ,An−1λ) of the opposite sides such that there exists a straight line that is perpendicular to these sides and intersects each of them.
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