Maths Olympiad Prep

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Geometry Difficulty 5.6 AIME, harder Prove it India

Problem:

Let MM be the midpoint of side BCBC of a triangle ABCABC. Let the median AMAM intersect the incircle of ABCABC at KK and LL, KK being nearer to AA than LL. If AK=KL=LMAK = KL = LM, prove that the sides of triangle ABCABC are in the ratio 5:10:135 : 10 : 13 in some order.

Solution

Solution:

Let II be the incentre of triangle ABCABC and DD be its projection on BCBC. Observe that ABACAB \neq AC as AB=ACAB = AC implies that D=L=MD = L = M. So assume that AC>ABAC > AB. Let NN be the projection of II on KLKL. Then the perpendicular ININ from II to KLKL is a bisector of KLKL and as AK=LMAK = LM, it is a bisector of AMAM also. Hence AI=IMAI = IM.

Figure 1

Fig. 1.

But AI=rsin(A/2)=rcosec(A/2)AI = \frac{r}{\sin(A/2)} = r \operatorname{cosec}(A/2) and
IM2=ID2+DM2=r2+(BMBD)2=r2+(a2(sb))2 \begin{aligned} IM^2 & = ID^2 + DM^2 = r^2 + (BM - BD)^2 \\ & = r^2 + \left(\frac{a}{2} - (s-b)\right)^2 \end{aligned}
Hence r2cosec2(A/2)=r2+((a/2)(sb))2r^2 \operatorname{cosec}^2(A/2) = r^2 + \left((a/2) - (s-b)\right)^2 giving r2cot2(A/2)=((bc)/2)2r^2 \cot^2(A/2) = ((b-c)/2)^2. Since b>cb > c, we obtain rcot(A/2)=((bc)/2)r \cot(A/2) = ((b-c)/2). So sa=((bc)/2)s-a = ((b-c)/2). This gives a=2ca = 2c.

As KN=NLKN = NL and AK=KL=LMAK = KL = LM, we have NL=AM/6NL = AM/6. We also have AN=NMAN = NM. Now
r2=IL2=IN2+NL2=AI2AN2+NL2=AI214ma2+136ma2=r2cosec2(A/2)29ma2 \begin{aligned} r^2 = IL^2 = IN^2 + NL^2 & = AI^2 - AN^2 + NL^2 \\ & = AI^2 - \frac{1}{4} m_a^2 + \frac{1}{36} m_a^2 \\ & = r^2 \operatorname{cosec}^2(A/2) - \frac{2}{9} m_a^2 \end{aligned}
Hence r2cot2(A/2)=29ma2r^2 \cot^2(A/2) = \frac{2}{9} m_a^2. From the above, we get
(bc2)2=2914(2b2+2c2a2) \left(\frac{b-c}{2}\right)^2 = \frac{2}{9} \cdot \frac{1}{4} (2b^2 + 2c^2 - a^2)
Simplification gives 5b2+13c218bc=05b^2 + 13c^2 - 18bc = 0. This can be written as (bc)(5b13c)=0(b-c)(5b-13c) = 0. As bcb \neq c, we get 5b13c=05b - 13c = 0. To conclude, a=2ca = 2c, 5b=13c5b = 13c yield
a10=b13=c5 \frac{a}{10} = \frac{b}{13} = \frac{c}{5}

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