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Belarusian Mathematical Olympiad

Geometry Difficulty 6.1 National Olympiad Prove it Belarus

Point MM is marked inside a convex quadrilateral ABCDABCD. It appears that AM=BMAM = BM, CM=DMCM = DM, and ∠AMB=∠CMD=60∘\angle AMB = \angle CMD = 60^\circ. Let KK, LL, and NN be the midpoints of the segments BCBC, AMAM, and DMDM, respectively. Find the value of the angle LKNLKN.

(S. Mazanik)

Solution

Answer: 60∘60^\circ.

Let EE and FF be the midpoints of the segments BMBM and CMCM, respectively. Since ∠AMB=∠CMD=60∘\angle AMB = \angle CMD = 60^\circ, we have
∠BMC=360∘−∠AMB−∠CMD−∠LMN=360∘−60∘−60∘−∠LMN==240∘−∠LMN. \begin{aligned} \angle BMC &= 360^\circ - \angle AMB - \angle CMD - \angle LMN = 360^\circ - 60^\circ - 60^\circ - \angle LMN = \\ &= 240^\circ - \angle LMN. \end{aligned}
Since KFKF is the midline in the triangle CBMCBM, we have KF∥BMKF \parallel BM, therefore, ∠KFC=∠BMC\angle KFC = \angle BMC. Then
∠KFM=180∘−∠KFC=180∘−∠BMC==180∘−(240∘−∠LMN)=∠LMN−60∘. \begin{aligned} \angle KFM &= 180^\circ - \angle KFC = 180^\circ - \angle BMC = \\ &= 180^\circ - (240^\circ - \angle LMN) = \angle LMN - 60^\circ. \end{aligned}
By condition, CM=DMCM = DM and ∠CMD=60∘\angle CMD = 60^\circ, so the triangle CMDCMD is equilateral. Since FNFN is the midline in the triangle CMDCMD, we see that the triangle FMNFMN is equilateral too and FM=NM=FNFM = NM = FN, ∠MFN=60∘\angle MFN = 60^\circ. Therefore,
∠KFN=∠KFM+∠MFN=[∠MFN=60∘]=∠LMN−60∘+60∘=∠LMN. \angle KFN = \angle KFM + \angle MFN = [\angle MFN = 60^\circ] = \angle LMN - 60^\circ + 60^\circ = \angle LMN.
In the same way, one can show that ∠KEL=∠LMN\angle KEL = \angle LMN and EM=ML=ELEM = ML = EL. Thus, △KEL=△NFK=△NML\triangle KEL = \triangle NFK = \triangle NML (by two sides and the angle between them), so KL=KN=LNKL = KN = LN. Therefore, the triangle KLNKLN is equilateral and ∠LKN=60∘\angle LKN = 60^\circ.

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