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Geometry Difficulty 8.4 Shortlist Prove it Mongolia

Let ABCABC be a scalene triangle. The midpoints of the sides ABAB, BCBC and CACA are denoted C0C_0, A0A_0 and B0B_0 respectively. Let lAl_A, lBl_B and lCl_C denote the bisectors of the interior angles of AA, BB and CC respectively. If MM is the intersection of the perpendicular from CC to lCl_C and the perpendicular from A0A_0 to lAl_A, then show that MB0MB_0 is parallel to lBl_B.

Solution

Let II denote the incenter of ABCABC, i.e. the intersection of the bisectors lAl_A, lBl_B and lCl_C.

We denote by PP and QQ the bases of the perpendiculars from AA to lCl_C and CC to lAl_A, respectively. Let PQPQ intersect ABAB and BCBC at RR and SS respectively. Since APQCAPQC is inscribed, we have RPI=QPC=QAC=RAI\angle RPI = \angle QPC = \angle QAC = \angle RAI, thus APRIAPRI is also inscribed. Hence RR is the base of the perpendicular from II to ABAB. Similarly for SS. Since II is the incenter, it follows that IBRSIB \perp RS and thus lBPQl_B \perp PQ. Hence it suffices to prove that MB0PQMB_0 \perp PQ.

By Thales theorem, the point B0B_0 is the circumcenter of APQCAPQC. Thus
B0P=B0Q.(1) B_0P = B_0Q. \qquad (1)
Now let UU and VV denote the bases of the perpendiculars from BB to lCl_C and lAl_A respectively. We claim that MM is the incenter of PUVQPUVQ. Firstly, since
VUI=VBI=VQP, \angle VUI = \angle VBI = \angle VQP,
the quadrilateral PUVQPUVQ is inscribed. Secondly, since APMC0BUAP \parallel MC_0 \parallel BU and C0C_0 is the midpoint of ABAB, we see that MP=MUMP = MU. Similarly, MV=MQMV = MQ. Consequently MM is the circumcenter of PUVQPUVQ and therefore MP=MQMP = MQ. Combining with (1), we see that MB0PQMB_0 \perp PQ.

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