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Geometry Difficulty 5.7 AIME, harder Prove it Italy

Problem:

Let ABCABC be an acute triangle. Let DD be the foot of the internal bisector from AA and MM the midpoint of ADAD. Let moreover XX be a point on the segment BMBM such that MXA=DAC\angle MXA = \angle DAC.
Prove that AXAX is perpendicular to XCXC.

Solutions — 2

Solution 1

Solution:

Since by hypothesis MXA=DAC=MAB\angle MXA = \angle DAC = \angle MAB holds, the two triangles MXAMXA and MABMAB are similar. Hence
XMAM=AMBM \frac{XM}{AM} = \frac{AM}{BM}
Let HH be the foot of the perpendicular drawn from AA to BCBC. From now on we assume that HH lies between BB and DD. The other case, namely DD between BB and HH, is treated analogously. Since MM is the midpoint of the hypotenuse in the right triangle AHDAHD, we have AM=HMAM = HM. Hence the previous equality of ratios becomes
XMHM=HMBM \frac{XM}{HM} = \frac{HM}{BM}
from which we deduce the similarity of the two triangles XMHXMH and HMBHMB. From this similarity follows the equality HXM=BHM\angle HXM = \angle BHM, but BHM=180MHD=180MDH=β+α2\angle BHM = 180^\circ - \angle MHD = 180^\circ - \angle MDH = \beta + \frac{\alpha}{2}, where in the second equality we use that the triangle MHDMHD is isosceles, since AHDAHD is a right triangle and MM is the midpoint of the hypotenuse, and in the third we use that the sum of the angles of the triangle ABDABD is 180180^\circ using the standard triangle notation.
Hence AXH=MXH+AXM=(β+α2)+α2=β+α\angle AXH = \angle MXH + \angle AXM = \left(\beta + \frac{\alpha}{2}\right) + \frac{\alpha}{2} = \beta + \alpha since AXM=DAC=α2\angle AXM = \angle DAC = \frac{\alpha}{2} by hypothesis. Hence AXH+ACH=β+α+γ=180\angle AXH + \angle ACH = \beta + \alpha + \gamma = 180^\circ and therefore AXHCAXHC is cyclic and from this we deduce AXC=AHC=90\angle AXC = \angle AHC = 90^\circ which is what we wanted.

Solution 2

Solution:

Let AA' be the intersection, different from AA, of the circumscribed circle of AMXAMX with the segment ABAB. We have
AAM=AXM=DAC=MAA \angle AA'M = \angle AXM = \angle DAC = \angle MAA'
where the first equality holds because AAXMAA'XM is cyclic, the second holds by hypothesis and the third because ADAD is the bisector. Hence the triangle AAMAA'M is isosceles. Let MM' be the midpoint of AAAA'. Since AAMAA'M is isosceles, MMABMM' \perp AB. Moreover, by Thales' theorem, MMDAMM' \parallel DA' and hence DAABDA' \perp AB.
Let HH be the foot of the altitude drawn from AA to BCBC. From now on we assume that HH lies between BB and DD. The other case, namely DD between BB and HH, is treated analogously. Since DAABDA' \perp AB we have DAA=DHA=90\angle DA'A = \angle DHA = 90^\circ and hence the quadrilateral AAHDAA'HD is cyclic.
We show that ABHXA'BHX is also cyclic. Indeed BXA=180AXM=AAD\angle BXA' = 180^\circ - \angle A'XM = \angle A'AD, where the last equality holds because AAXMAA'XM is cyclic; BHA=90AHA=90ADA=AAD\angle BHA' = 90^\circ - \angle A'HA = 90^\circ - \angle A'DA = \angle A'AD, where the second equality holds because AAHDAA'HD is cyclic and the third because the triangle AADAA'D is right-angled. Hence ABHXA'BHX is cyclic since we have shown
BXA=AAD=BHA. \angle BXA' = \angle A'AD = \angle BHA'.
Finally we show that MXHDMXHD is a cyclic quadrilateral. Indeed
XMD=180XMA=AAX=180XAB=XHB \angle XMD = 180^\circ - \angle XMA = \angle AA'X = 180^\circ - \angle XA'B = \angle XHB
where the second equality holds because AAXMAA'XM is cyclic and the fourth because ABHXA'BHX is cyclic.
From the cyclicity of MXHDMXHD we deduce MXH=180MDH\angle MXH = 180^\circ - \angle MDH. In the triangle ABDABD we have MDH=180βα2\angle MDH = 180^\circ - \beta - \frac{\alpha}{2} using the standard triangle notation. Hence MXH=β+α2\angle MXH = \beta + \frac{\alpha}{2} and AXH=MXH+AXM=(β+α2)+α2=β+α\angle AXH = \angle MXH + \angle AXM = \left(\beta + \frac{\alpha}{2}\right) + \frac{\alpha}{2} = \beta + \alpha since AXM=DAC=α2\angle AXM = \angle DAC = \frac{\alpha}{2} by hypothesis. Hence AXH+ACH=β+α+γ=180\angle AXH + \angle ACH = \beta + \alpha + \gamma = 180^\circ and therefore AXHCAXHC is cyclic and from this we deduce AXC=AHC=90\angle AXC = \angle AHC = 90^\circ which is what we wanted.

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