


Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Solution:
a) Let L and M be the midpoints of the sides CA and AB, respectively. If O lies on the segment KM (Fig. 2), then the segment KM and the perpendicular bisector of AB have two different common points O and M, hence KM is the perpendicular bisector of AB. Since KM is parallel to AC and is perpendicular to AB, the angle at vertex A must be right. If O lies on the segment LM (Fig. 3), then we get similarly that the angle at vertex B must be right. If O lies on the segment KL (Fig. 4), then on one hand ∠ABC is acute, because OK and MB are perpendicular to MO, the perpendicular bisector of AB, and ∣OK∣<∣LK∣=∣MB∣. On the other hand, ∠ABK must be obtuse, since the circumcenter O of the triangle ABK lies outside of the triangle, a contradiction. Thus this case is not possible.
b) If the triangle ABC is equilateral, then the median AK is also the altitude and ABK is a right triangle with the hypotenuse AB. The circumcenter O of the last triangle is the midpoint of AB, i.e. an endpoint of a midsegment of the triangle, but ABC is not a right triangle.