Maths Olympiad Prep

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Geometry Difficulty 5.3 AIME, harder Prove it Romania

Consider a convex quadrilateral ABCDABCD with
AB=CBandABC+2CDA=π AB = CB \quad \text{and} \quad \angle ABC + 2\angle CDA = \pi
and let EE be the midpoint of ACAC. Show that CDE=BDA\angle CDE = \angle BDA.

Solutions — 2

Solution 1

Let point XX be lying on line BEBE such that CXE=CDE\angle CXE = \angle CDE (XX is the (other than CC) meeting point of the circumcircle of CDE\triangle CDE and the line BEBE).

Therefore the quadrilateral DECXDECX is cyclic, so DXE=DCE=πCDACAD\angle DXE = \angle DCE = \pi - \angle CDA - \angle CAD. But CDA=12(πABC)=CAB\angle CDA = \frac{1}{2}(\pi - \angle ABC) = \angle CAB, so DCE=πCABCAD=πBAD\angle DCE = \pi - \angle CAB - \angle CAD = \pi - \angle BAD, hence the quadrilateral ABXDABXD is cyclic.

It follows BDA=BXA=CXE=CDE\angle BDA = \angle BXA = \angle CXE = \angle CDE.

Solution 2

We are asked to prove that DEDE and DBDB are isogonal conjugate, and so, since DEDE is median in CDA\triangle CDA, that DBDB is symmedian in that triangle.

Let γ\gamma be the circumcircle of ABC\triangle ABC, and Γ\Gamma be the circumcircle of CDA\triangle CDA, of center Ω\Omega. We have CΩA=2CDA=πABC\angle C\Omega A = 2\angle CDA = \pi - \angle ABC, hence Ωγ\Omega \in \gamma, and CΩ=AΩC\Omega = A\Omega, hence ΩBE\Omega \in BE; therefore Ω=γBE\Omega = \gamma \cap BE. Since BΩB\Omega is a diameter for circle γ\gamma, it follows BΩA=BCΩ=π/2\angle B\Omega A = \angle BC\Omega = \pi/2, therefore BABA and BCBC are tangent to circle Γ\Gamma.

A well-known LEMMA states that a symmedian in a triangle (CDA\triangle CDA) connects the vertex (DD) it originates at with the intersection (BB) of the tangents (BABA and BCBC) to the circumcircle (Γ\Gamma) of the triangle at the other two vertices (AA and CC); for us that yields DBDB symmedian in CDA\triangle CDA.

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