Maths Olympiad Prep

Library / Czech-Slovak-Polish Match /15 of 22

Czech-Slovak-Polish Match

Geometry Difficulty 6.0 National Olympiad Prove it Czech Republic

In the interior of a cyclic quadrangle ABCDABCD a point PP is given such that
∣∠BPC∣=∣∠BAP∣+∣∠PDC∣. |\angle BPC| = |\angle BAP| + |\angle PDC|.
Denote by EE, FF, and GG the feet of the perpendiculars from the point PP to the lines ABAB, ADAD and DCDC, respectively. Show that the triangles FEGFEG and PBCPBC are similar.

Solution

Let kk be the circumcircle of the quadrangle ABCDABCD and k1k_1, k2k_2 the circumcircles of the triangles PABPAB and PCDPCD, respectively. In the interior of the angle BPCBPC, consider the half-line PTPT such that ∣∠BPT∣=∣∠BAP∣|\angle BPT| = |\angle BAP|. Then the hypothesis on PP implies that (Fig. 1)
∣∠TPC∣=∣∠BPC∣−∣∠BPT∣=∣∠BPC∣−∣∠BAP∣=∣∠PDC∣. |\angle TPC| = |\angle BPC| - |\angle BPT| = |\angle BPC| - |\angle BAP| = |\angle PDC|.
Thus PTPT is the common interior tangent of the circles k1k_1 and k2k_2.

Figure 1
Fig. 1

Let us first assume that the sides ABAB and CDCD of the given cyclic quadrangle are not parallel. Since the segments ABAB and CDCD are common chords of the circles k1k_1, kk and k2k_2, kk, respectively, there exists a unique point QQ having the same power with respect to all three circles kk, k1k_1 and k2k_2. The point QQ is the intersection of the three lines ABAB, DCDC and PTPT. Without loss of generality, we can assume that the point QQ is located on the half-line BABA beyond the point AA (Fig. 1). Then we have
∣∠QPA∣=∣∠PBA∣(1) |\angle QPA| = |\angle PBA| \quad (1)
Since ∣∠AEP∣=∣∠AFP∣=90∘|\angle AEP| = |\angle AFP| = 90^\circ, the quadrangle AEPFAEPF is cyclic, and
∣∠FEP∣=∣∠FAP∣=∣∠DAP∣(2) |\angle FEP| = |\angle FAP| = |\angle DAP| \quad (2)
Similarly we see that the quadrangle DGPFDGPF is cyclic. It follows that
∣∠BPC∣=∣∠BAP∣+∣∠PDC∣=∣∠EFP∣+∣∠PFG∣=∣∠EFG∣(3) |\angle BPC| = |\angle BAP| + |\angle PDC| = |\angle EFP| + |\angle PFG| = |\angle EFG| \quad (3)
Since further ∣∠PEQ∣=∣∠PGQ∣=90∘|\angle PEQ| = |\angle PGQ| = 90^\circ, the quadrangle QEPGQEPG is also cyclic and
∣∠GEP∣=∣∠GQP∣=∣∠DQP∣(4) |\angle GEP| = |\angle GQP| = |\angle DQP| \quad (4)
From the relations (2), (4) and the equality ∣∠DAP∣+∣∠QPA∣=∣∠QDA∣+∣∠DQP∣|\angle DAP| + |\angle QPA| = |\angle QDA| + |\angle DQP|, we further have
∣∠FEG∣=∣∠FEP∣−∣∠GEP∣=∣∠DAP∣−∣∠DQP∣=∣∠QDA∣−∣∠QPA∣(5) |\angle FEG| = |\angle FEP| - |\angle GEP| = |\angle DAP| - |\angle DQP| = |\angle QDA| - |\angle QPA| \quad (5)
Since the quadrangle ABCDABCD is cyclic, ∣∠QDA∣=∣∠QBC∣|\angle QDA| = |\angle QBC|. From the relations (1) and (5) we thus get
∣∠FEG∣=∣∠QBC∣−∣∠PBA∣=∣∠PBC∣ |\angle FEG| = |\angle QBC| - |\angle PBA| = |\angle PBC|
Using finally the relations (3) and (6) we see that the triangles FEGFEG and PBCPBC are similar (as they have two congruent angles).

An analogous argument can be used when the point QQ is located on the half-line ABAB beyond the point BB. If the lines ABAB and CDCD are parallel, then ABCDABCD is an equilateral trapezoid, with bases ABAB and CDCD. Since the points EE, PP, GG are collinear and the common interior tangent of the circles k1k_1 and k2k_2 is parallel to both lines ABAB and CDCD, the triangles APDAPD and PBCPBC are congruent. The similarity of the triangles EFGEFG and APDAPD thus implies also the similarity of the triangles EFGEFG and PBCPBC.

This completes the proof.

Want a route through all this instead of an archive? The track puts 2,604 problems in a working order, from Junior Challenge level to the IMO shortlist.

Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement reproduced verbatim; metadata (topic, difficulty) added by this project.