Maths Olympiad Prep

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Geometry Difficulty 5.7 AIME, harder Prove it Ireland

Suppose ABCABC is an equilateral triangle whose circumcircle Γ\Gamma has radius 11. Prove that if PP is within or on Γ\Gamma, then the product PAPBPC|PA| \cdot |PB| \cdot |PC| does not exceed 22. Also determine the points PP for which the product is equal to 22.

Solution

We will use complex numbers and suppose that Γ\Gamma is centred at the origin so that Γ\Gamma is the set of complex numbers ww such that w=1|w| = 1. Moreover, w.l.o.g., we can suppose that A=1A = 1, B=ωB = \omega, C=ω2C = \omega^2, where ω=e2πi/3\omega = e^{2\pi i/3} is a cube root of unity and 1+ω+ω2=01 + \omega + \omega^2 = 0. Let the complex number zz stand for PP. Then
PA=z1,PB=zω,PC=zω2, |PA| = |z - 1|, \quad |PB| = |z - \omega|, \quad |PC| = |z - \omega^2|,
and so
PAPBPC=z1zωzω2=(z1)(zω)(zω2)=z31z3+1(since a+ba+b)=z3+12 \begin{aligned} |PA| \cdot |PB| \cdot |PC| &= |z-1||z-\omega||z-\omega^2| \\ &= |(z-1)(z-\omega)(z-\omega^2)| \\ &= |z^3 - 1| \\ &\le |z^3| + 1 \quad (\text{since } |a+b| \le |a| + |b|) \\ &= |z|^3 + 1 \\ &\le 2 \end{aligned}
if PP is within or on Γ\Gamma, in which case z1|z| \le 1.

We will now show that equality occurs exactly when PP is one of the three points on Γ\Gamma that are obtained by a 6060^\circ-rotation of A,B,CA, B, C. Equality occurs above when z3=1|z^3| = 1 and z31=2|z^3 - 1| = 2, i.e. when z3z^3 is on Γ\Gamma and has distance 22 from the complex number 11. This happens exactly when z3=1z^3 = -1. This equation has three solutions: 1,ω,ω2-1, -\omega, -\omega^2. These three complex numbers are diametrically opposite A,B,CA, B, C on Γ\Gamma and so can also be obtained by rotating A,B,CA, B, C by 6060^\circ about the circumcentre of triangle ABCABC.

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