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Geometry Difficulty 6.8 National olympiad Prove it Belarus

The lines a1,a2,b1,b2,c1,c2a_1, a_2, b_1, b_2, c_1, c_2 passing, respectively, through the points A1,A2,B1,B2,C1,C2A_1, A_2, B_1, B_2, C_1, C_2 rotate uniformly and with the same angular velocity about the corresponding points. At an arbitrary moment tt by A(t)A(t) denote the intersection point of the lines a1a_1 and a2a_2. Points B(t)B(t) and C(t)C(t) are defined similarly. It turned out that within one 180180^\circ rotation there were two moments t1t_1 and t2t_2 such that the triangles A(t1)B(t1)C(t1)A(t_1)B(t_1)C(t_1) and A(t2)B(t2)C(t2)A(t_2)B(t_2)C(t_2) were equilateral and equally oriented.
Prove that the triangle A(t)B(t)C(t)A(t)B(t)C(t) is always equilateral.
(Aliaksei Vaidzelevich)

Solution

Since the lines rotate uniformly the angles between the lines a1(t1),a1(t2)a_1(t_1), a_1(t_2) and between the lines a2(t1),a2(t2)a_2(t_1), a_2(t_2) are equal for any moments t1,t2t_1, t_2. Hence the points A1,A2,A(t1),A(t2)A_1, A_2, A(t_1), A(t_2) lie on the circle, i.e. all points A(t)A(t) lie on the same circle. Moreover if the lines rotated by ϕ\phi then the point A(t)A(t) passed along the arc with the measure 2ϕ2\phi. Therefore the points A(t)A(t), B(t)B(t) and C(t)C(t) are moving uniformly and with the same angular velocity along some three circles. And one full-circle rotation there were two moments t1t_1 and t2t_2 such that the triangles A(t1)B(t1)C(t1)A(t_1)B(t_1)C(t_1) and A(t2)B(t2)C(t2)A(t_2)B(t_2)C(t_2) were equilateral and equally oriented.

Consider this situation on the complex plane and without loss of generality let the points make one full-circle rotation during one unit of time. Let o1,o2,o3o_1, o_2, o_3 be the coordinates of the centers and r1,r2,r3r_1, r_2, r_3 be the radii of the corresponding circles. Then the points A(t),B(t)A(t), B(t) and C(t)C(t) have the coordinates o1+r1et+φ1o_1 + r_1 e^{t + \varphi_1}, o2+r2et+φ2o_2 + r_2 e^{t + \varphi_2} and o3+r3et+φ3o_3 + r_3 e^{t + \varphi_3} where φ1,φ2\varphi_1, \varphi_2 and φ3\varphi_3 are angles corresponding to the initial positions of points. Then we know that
(o2+r2et1+φ2)(o1+r1et1+φ1)(o3+r3et2+φ2)(o1+r1et2+φ1)=(o2+r2et2+φ2)(o1+r1et2+φ1)(o3+r3et3+φ2)(o1+r1et3+φ1)=ξ, \frac{(o_2 + r_2 e^{t_1 + \varphi_2}) - (o_1 + r_1 e^{t_1 + \varphi_1})}{(o_3 + r_3 e^{t_2 + \varphi_2}) - (o_1 + r_1 e^{t_2 + \varphi_1})} = \frac{(o_2 + r_2 e^{t_2 + \varphi_2}) - (o_1 + r_1 e^{t_2 + \varphi_1})}{(o_3 + r_3 e^{t_3 + \varphi_2}) - (o_1 + r_1 e^{t_3 + \varphi_1})} = \xi,
where ξ\xi is the third root of unity. Note that after simple transformations the equation
(o2+r2et+φ2)(o1+r1et+φ1)(o3+r3et+φ3)(o1+r1et+φ1)=ξ \frac{(o_2 + r_2 e^{t+\varphi_2}) - (o_1 + r_1 e^{t+\varphi_1})}{(o_3 + r_3 e^{t+\varphi_3}) - (o_1 + r_1 e^{t+\varphi_1})} = \xi
reduces to a linear equation of the variable ete^t. Since this equation has two different solutions et1e^{t_1} and et2e^{t_2} on a unit circle, it must be degenerate, i.e. it is an identity. Therefore the triangle A(t)B(t)C(t)A(t)B(t)C(t) is always equilateral.

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