Maths Olympiad Prep

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Geometry Difficulty 8.1 Shortlist Prove it Balkan Mathematical Olympiad

Given an acute triangle ABCABC, let MM be the midpoint of BCBC and HH the orthocentre. Let Γ\Gamma be the circle with diameter HMHM, and let XX, YY be distinct points on Γ\Gamma such that AXAX, AYAY are tangent to Γ\Gamma. Prove that BXYCBXYC is cyclic.

Solution

Let DD be the foot of the altitude from AA to BCBC, which also lies on Γ\Gamma. Let OO be the circumcentre of ABC\triangle ABC. Since HDM=90\angle HDM = 90^\circ, note that rays HDHD and HMHM meet the circumcircle at points which are reflections in OMOM. Then, since BAD=OAC\angle BAD = \angle OAC, we recover the well-known fact that ray HMHM meets the circumcircle at AA', the point antipodal to AA. Therefore, the ray MHMH meets the circumcircle at a point TT such that MTA=90\angle MTA = 90^\circ. Note that TT, DD lie on the circle with diameter AMAM.

Figure 1
Figure 4: G4

Now, study KK, the centre of Γ\Gamma. Clearly AXKYAXKY is cyclic, with diameter AKAK, so TT also lies on this circle. We can now apply the radical axis theorem to the three circles ATXKY\odot ATXKY, ATDM\odot ATDM, HXDMY\odot HXDMY to deduce that ATAT, XYXY, DMDM concur at a point, ZZ.

Then, by power of a point in ATXY\odot ATXY, we have ZXZY=ZTZAZX \cdot ZY = ZT \cdot ZA; but also by power of a point in the circumcircle, we have ZAZT=ZBZCZA \cdot ZT = ZB \cdot ZC. Therefore
ZXZY=ZBZC, ZX \cdot ZY = ZB \cdot ZC,
and the result follows. \square

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