Maths Olympiad Prep

Library / /3 of 8

, 2021

Geometry Difficulty 7.6 National olympiad, round 2 Prove it Asia Pacific Mathematics Olympiad (APMO)

Let ABCDABCD be a cyclic convex quadrilateral and Γ\Gamma be its circumcircle. Let EE be the intersection of the diagonals ACAC and BDBD, let LL be the center of the circle tangent to sides ABAB, BCBC, and CDCD, and let MM be the midpoint of the arc BCBC of Γ\Gamma not containing AA and DD. Prove that the excenter of triangle BCEBCE opposite EE lies on the line LMLM.

Solutions — 2

Solution 1

Let LL be the intersection of the bisectors of ABC\angle ABC and BCD\angle BCD. Let NN be the EE-excenter of BCE\triangle BCE. Let BAC=BDC=α\angle BAC=\angle BDC=\alpha, DBC=β\angle DBC=\beta and ACB=γ\angle ACB=\gamma.
We have the following:
CBL=12ABC=9012α12γ and BCL=9012α12βCBN=9012β and BCN=9012γMBL=MBC+CBL=9012γ and MCL=9012βLCN=LBN=18012(α+β+γ) \begin{array}{r} \angle CBL=\frac{1}{2} \angle ABC=90^\circ-\frac{1}{2} \alpha-\frac{1}{2} \gamma \text{ and } \angle BCL=90^\circ-\frac{1}{2} \alpha-\frac{1}{2} \beta \\ \angle CBN=90^\circ-\frac{1}{2} \beta \text{ and } \angle BCN=90^\circ-\frac{1}{2} \gamma \\ \angle MBL=\angle MBC+\angle CBL=90^\circ-\frac{1}{2} \gamma \text{ and } \angle MCL=90^\circ-\frac{1}{2} \beta \\ \angle LCN=\angle LBN=180^\circ-\frac{1}{2}(\alpha+\beta+\gamma) \end{array}
Applying the sine rule to MBL\triangle MBL and MCL\triangle MCL we obtain
MBML=MCML=sinBLMsinMBL=sinCLMsinMCL \frac{MB}{ML}=\frac{MC}{ML}=\frac{\sin \angle BLM}{\sin \angle MBL}=\frac{\sin \angle CLM}{\sin \angle MCL}
It follows that
sinBLMsinCLM=sinMBLsinMCL=cos(γ/2)cos(β/2) \begin{equation*} \frac{\sin \angle BLM}{\sin \angle CLM}=\frac{\sin \angle MBL}{\sin \angle MCL}=\frac{\cos (\gamma / 2)}{\cos (\beta / 2)} \tag{1} \end{equation*}
Now
sinBLMsinMLCsinLCNsinNCBsinNBCsinNBL=cos(γ/2)cos(β/2)sin(9012β)sin(9012γ)=1. \frac{\sin \angle BLM}{\sin \angle MLC} \cdot \frac{\sin \angle LCN}{\sin \angle NCB} \cdot \frac{\sin \angle NBC}{\sin \angle NBL}=\frac{\cos (\gamma / 2)}{\cos (\beta / 2)} \cdot \frac{\sin \left(90^\circ-\frac{1}{2} \beta\right)}{\sin \left(90^\circ-\frac{1}{2} \gamma\right)}=1 .
Hence LMLM, BNBN, CNCN are concurrent and therefore LL, MM, NN are collinear.

We proceed similarly as above until the equation (1).
We use the following lemma.
Lemma: If π>α,β,γ,δ>0\pi>\alpha, \beta, \gamma, \delta>0, α+β=γ+δ<π\alpha+\beta=\gamma+\delta<\pi, and sinαsinβ=sinγsinδ\frac{\sin \alpha}{\sin \beta}=\frac{\sin \gamma}{\sin \delta}, then α=γ\alpha=\gamma and β=δ\beta=\delta.
Proof of Lemma: Let θ=α+β=γ+δ\theta=\alpha+\beta=\gamma+\delta. Then sin(θβ)sinβ=sin(θδ)sinδ\frac{\sin (\theta-\beta)}{\sin \beta}=\frac{\sin (\theta-\delta)}{\sin \delta}.
sin(θβ)sinδ=sin(θδ)sinβ(sinθcosβsinβcosθ)sinδ=(sinθcosδsinδcosθ)sinβsinθcosβsinδ=sinθcosδsinβsinθsin(βδ)=0 \begin{gathered} \Longleftrightarrow \sin (\theta-\beta) \sin \delta=\sin (\theta-\delta) \sin \beta \\ \Longleftrightarrow (\sin \theta \cos \beta-\sin \beta \cos \theta) \sin \delta=(\sin \theta \cos \delta-\sin \delta \cos \theta) \sin \beta \\ \Longleftrightarrow \sin \theta \cos \beta \sin \delta=\sin \theta \cos \delta \sin \beta \\ \Longleftrightarrow \sin \theta \sin (\beta-\delta)=0 \end{gathered}
Since 0<θ<π0<\theta<\pi, then sinθ0\sin \theta \neq 0. Therefore, sin(βδ)=0\sin (\beta-\delta)=0, and we must have β=δ\beta=\delta.
Applying the sine rule to NBL\triangle NBL and NCL\triangle NCL we obtain
NBNL=sinBLNsinLBNNCNL=sinCLNsinLCN \begin{aligned} & \frac{NB}{NL}=\frac{\sin \angle BLN}{\sin \angle LBN} \\ & \frac{NC}{NL}=\frac{\sin \angle CLN}{\sin \angle LCN} \end{aligned}
Since LBN=LCN\angle LBN=\angle LCN, it follows that
sinBLNsinCLN=NBNC=sinBCNsinCBN=cos(γ/2)cos(β/2)=sinBLMsinCLM \frac{\sin \angle BLN}{\sin \angle CLN}=\frac{NB}{NC}=\frac{\sin \angle BCN}{\sin \angle CBN}=\frac{\cos (\gamma / 2)}{\cos (\beta / 2)}=\frac{\sin \angle BLM}{\sin \angle CLM}
By the lemma, it is concluded that BLM=BLN\angle BLM=\angle BLN and CLM=CLN\angle CLM=\angle CLN. Therefore, LL, MM, NN are collinear.

Solution 2

Denote by NN the excenter of triangle BCEBCE opposite EE. Since BLBL bisects ABC\angle ABC, we have CBL=ABC2\angle CBL= \frac{\angle ABC}{2}. Since MM is the midpoint of arc BCBC, we have MBC=12(MBC+MCB)\angle MBC=\frac{1}{2}(\angle MBC+\angle MCB) It follows by angle chasing that
MBL=MBC+CBL=12(MBC+MCB+ABC)=12(MBA+MCB)=90BCE2=BCN \begin{aligned} \angle MBL & =\angle MBC+\angle CBL=\frac{1}{2}(\angle MB C+\angle MC B+\angle ABC) \\ & =\frac{1}{2}(\angle MBA+\angle MCB)=90^\circ-\frac{\angle BCE}{2}=\angle BCN \end{aligned}
Denote by XX and YY the second intersections of lines BMBM and CMCM with the circumcircle of BCLBCL, respectively. Since MBC=MCB\angle MBC=\angle MCB, we have BCXYBC \parallel XY. It suffices to show that BNXLBN \parallel XL and CNYLCN \parallel YL. Indeed, from this it follows that BCNXYL\triangle BCN \sim \triangle XYL, and therefore a homothety with center MM that maps BB to XX and CC to YY also maps NN to LL, implying that NN lies on the line LMLM.
By symmetry, it suffices to show that CNYLCN \parallel YL, which is equivalent to showing that BCN=XYL\angle BCN=\angle XYL. But we have BCN=MBL=XBL=XYL\angle BCN=\angle MBL=\angle XBL=\angle XYL, completing the proof.

Want a route through all this instead of an archive? The track puts 2,000 problems in a working order, from AMC 10 level to the IMO shortlist.

Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement and solution reproduced as published; topic and difficulty added by this site.