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Thai Mathematical Olympiad

Geometry Difficulty 6.4 National Olympiad Prove it Thailand

Let the incircle of a scalene triangle ABCABC touch the sides BCBC, CACA, ABAB at the points A′A', B′B', C′C', respectively. Let DD be the midpoint of the arc B′C′B'C' that does not contain A′A' (DD lies on the opposite side of A′A'). If the common tangent of the incircles of triangles A′CB′A'CB' and A′C′BA'C'B (opposite to the common tangent BCBC with respect to the line joining their centers) intersects the lines A′DA'D and A′C′A'C' at the points EE and FF respectively, show that C′EFC'EF is an isosceles triangle.

Solution

Since DD is the midpoint of the arc B′C′B'C' and ACAC touches the incircle at B′B', we see that
∴∠AB′D=∠BA′D=∠DA′C′=∠DB′C′ \therefore \angle AB'D = \angle BA'D = \angle DA'C' = \angle DB'C'
Thus, B′DB'D bisects ∠AB′C′\angle AB'C' and similarly, DC′DC' bisects ∠B′C′A\angle B'C'A. Hence DD is the incenter of △AB′C′\triangle AB'C'. By the same arguments, we can conclude that the incenters of A′CB′A'CB' and A′BC′A'BC', denoted by O1O_1 and O2O_2, are the midpoints of the arcs A′B′A'B' and A′C′A'C', respectively.
Since O1,O2,DO_1, O_2, D are the midpoints of the arcs A′B′,A′C′,B′C′A'B', A'C', B'C', then C′O1,A′DC'O_1, A'D, and B′O2B'O_2 intersect at the incenter of △A′B′C′\triangle A'B'C'.
∴∠A′DO1+∠DO1C′+∠C1O1O2=12(∠A′C′B′+∠B′A′C′+∠A′B′C′)=π2 \therefore \angle A'DO_1 + \angle DO_1C' + \angle C_1O_1O_2 = \frac{1}{2}(\angle A'C'B' + \angle B'A'C' + \angle A'B'C') = \frac{\pi}{2}
Thus, A′D⊥O1O2A'D \perp O_1O_2. Since A′A' lies on BCBC, the common tangent of the circles O1O_1 and O2O_2, the reflection of A′A' with respect to the line O1O2O_1O_2 is EE. By the reflection, ∠EO2O1=∠A′O2O1=∠O1O2B′\angle EO_2O_1 = \angle A'O_2O_1 = \angle O_1O_2B'. Since EE and B′B' lie on the same side with respect to O1O2O_1O_2, EE must lie on B′O2B'O_2. Therefore, EE is the incenter of △A′B′C′\triangle A'B'C'.
Now, it is left to show that the common tangent is parallel to B′C′B'C'; this will implies that ∠FEC′=∠B′C′E=∠FC′E\angle FEC' = \angle B'C'E = \angle FC'E. This follows from the reflection of the tangent BCBC with respect to O1O2O_1O_2 that,
∠FEA′=∠EA′B=∠A′B′D=∠A′B′C′+∠C′B′D=∠A′DC′+∠BC′D=∠EGC′ \angle FEA' = \angle EA'B = \angle A'B'D = \angle A'B'C' + \angle C'B'D = \angle A'DC' + \angle BC'D = \angle EGC'
where GG is the intersection of A′DA'D and B′C′B'C'.

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