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Geometry Difficulty 6.7 National Olympiad Prove it Ireland

An isosceles triangle ABCABC is inscribed in a circle with ACB=90\angle ACB = 90^\circ and EFEF is a chord of the circle such that neither EE nor FF coincide with CC. Lines CECE and CFCF meet ABAB at DD and GG respectively. Prove CEDG=EFCG|CE| \cdot |DG| = |EF| \cdot |CG|.

Solution

As ABCABC is isosceles and ACB=90\angle ACB = 90^\circ then it follows that
CAB=CBA=45 \angle CAB = \angle CBA = 45^\circ
Now quadrilateral ABECABEC is cyclic, so
BEC=180BAC=135 \angle BEC = 180^\circ - \angle BAC = 135^\circ
Therefore by subtraction from 180180^\circ, we know BED=45\angle BED = 45^\circ.
Let us define θ=BDE\theta = \angle BDE. As we now have two angles of BDE\triangle BDE, the third must take the total to 180180^\circ and so
EBD=18045θ=135θ \angle EBD = 180^\circ - 45^\circ - \theta = 135^\circ - \theta
By subtracting EBD\angle EBD and CBA=45\angle CBA = 45^\circ from 180180^\circ, we deduce that:
EBC=θ. \angle EBC = \theta.
Now as EBC\angle EBC and EFC\angle EFC are subtended by the common chord ECEC, we deduce that those two angles are equal. Putting these together, we deduce that BDE=CFE\angle BDE = \angle CFE.
We can conclude that CFECDG\triangle CFE \sim \triangle CDG since ECF\angle ECF is common. Therefore,
CEEF=CGDG \frac{|CE|}{|EF|} = \frac{|CG|}{|DG|}
which is what had to be proved.

Solution 2:

Connect OO to CC and EE to create the central angle EOC\angle EOC, which is twice the angle EFC\angle EFC. Because triangle EOCEOC is isosceles, we have
180=EOC+2OCD=2(EFC+OCD). 180^\circ = \angle EOC + 2\angle OCD = 2(\angle EFC + \angle OCD).
This implies EFC+OCD=90\angle EFC + \angle OCD = 90^\circ, i.e. EFC=90OCD\angle EFC = 90^\circ - \angle OCD.
Because ABAB is a diameter of the circle and triangle ABCABC is isosceles, COCO is perpendicular to ABAB and so CDO=90OCD=EFC\angle CDO = 90^\circ - \angle OCD = \angle EFC.
Because triangles CFECFE and CDGCDG share the angle at CC and CDO=EFC\angle CDO = \angle EFC it follows that the two triangles CFE\triangle CFE and CDG\triangle CDG are similar. Therefore,
CEEF=CGGD, \frac{|CE|}{|EF|} = \frac{|CG|}{|GD|},
which gives the required equation CEDG=EFCG|CE| \cdot |DG| = |EF| \cdot |CG|.

Solution 3:

(using trigonometry)
We use coordinates such that O=(0,0)O = (0,0), C=(0,1)C = (0,1), A=(1,0)A = (-1,0) and B=(1,0)B = (1,0). Let α=BOE\alpha = \angle BOE and β=BOF\beta = \angle BOF, both in [0,2π)[0, 2\pi). Because the points EE and FF are on the unit circle, these points have coordinates E=(cosα,sinα)E = (\cos \alpha, \sin \alpha) and F=(cosβ,sinβ)F = (\cos \beta, \sin \beta).
To determine the coordinates of DD, we use the Intercept Theorem (or similar triangles) applied to the figure obtained by dropping the perpendicular EPEP from EE onto the line COCO (the yy-axis). This gives DO/OC=EP/PC|DO|/|OC| = |EP|/|PC| and so DO=cosα1sinα|DO| = \frac{\cos \alpha}{1-\sin \alpha}. Similarly, we obtain GO=cosβ1sinβ|GO| = \frac{\cos \beta}{1-\sin \beta}. If we work with signed distances, these formulas are correct for all positions of EE and FF, provided that neither EE nor FF is equal to C=(0,1)C = (0,1).
Figure 1
Therefore,
DG2=(cosα1sinαcosβ1sinβ)2=cos2α(1sinα)2+cos2β(1sinβ)22cosαcosβ(1sinα)(1sinβ)=1sin2α(1sinα)2+1sin2β(1sinβ)22cosαcosβ(1sinα)(1sinβ)=1+sinα1sinα+1+sinβ1sinβ2cosαcosβ(1sinα)(1sinβ)=(1+sinα)(1sinβ)+(1sinα)(1+sinβ)2cosαcosβ(1sinα)(1sinβ)=22sinαsinβ2cosαcosβ(1sinα)(1sinβ)=2(1cos(βα))(1sinα)(1sinβ). \begin{align*} |DG|^2 &= \left( \frac{\cos \alpha}{1 - \sin \alpha} - \frac{\cos \beta}{1 - \sin \beta} \right)^2 \\ &= \frac{\cos^2 \alpha}{(1 - \sin \alpha)^2} + \frac{\cos^2 \beta}{(1 - \sin \beta)^2} - \frac{2 \cos \alpha \cos \beta}{(1 - \sin \alpha)(1 - \sin \beta)} \\ &= \frac{1 - \sin^2 \alpha}{(1 - \sin \alpha)^2} + \frac{1 - \sin^2 \beta}{(1 - \sin \beta)^2} - \frac{2 \cos \alpha \cos \beta}{(1 - \sin \alpha)(1 - \sin \beta)} \\ &= \frac{1 + \sin \alpha}{1 - \sin \alpha} + \frac{1 + \sin \beta}{1 - \sin \beta} - \frac{2 \cos \alpha \cos \beta}{(1 - \sin \alpha)(1 - \sin \beta)} \\ &= \frac{(1 + \sin \alpha)(1 - \sin \beta) + (1 - \sin \alpha)(1 + \sin \beta) - 2 \cos \alpha \cos \beta}{(1 - \sin \alpha)(1 - \sin \beta)} \\ &= \frac{2 - 2 \sin \alpha \sin \beta - 2 \cos \alpha \cos \beta}{(1 - \sin \alpha)(1 - \sin \beta)} \\ &= \frac{2(1 - \cos(\beta - \alpha))}{(1 - \sin \alpha)(1 - \sin \beta)}. \end{align*}

Since EOF=βα\angle EOF = \beta - \alpha, the Cosine Rule applied to triangle EOFEOF gives
EF2=2(1cos(βα)).|EF|^2 = 2(1 - \cos(\beta - \alpha)).
Similarly, we obtain
CE2=2(1cos(π2α))=2(1sinα). |CE|^2 = 2 \left(1 - \cos\left(\frac{\pi}{2} - \alpha\right)\right) = 2(1 - \sin\alpha).
Finally, the Theorem of Pythagoras on COG\triangle COG gives
CG2=1+OG2=1+(cosβ1sinβ)2=(1sinβ)2+cos2β(1sinβ)2=21sinβ. \begin{aligned} |CG|^2 &= 1 + |OG|^2 = 1 + \left( \frac{\cos \beta}{1 - \sin \beta} \right)^2 = \frac{(1 - \sin \beta)^2 + \cos^2 \beta}{(1 - \sin \beta)^2} \\ &= \frac{2}{1 - \sin \beta}. \end{aligned}
We now obtain
CE2DG2=2(1sinα)2(1cos(βα))(1sinα)(1sinβ)=2(1cos(βα))21sinβ=EF2CG2 \begin{aligned} |CE|^2 \cdot |DG|^2 &= \frac{2(1 - \sin \alpha) \cdot 2(1 - \cos(\beta - \alpha))}{(1 - \sin \alpha)(1 - \sin \beta)} \\ &= 2(1 - \cos(\beta - \alpha)) \cdot \frac{2}{1 - \sin \beta} = |EF|^2 \cdot |CG|^2 \end{aligned}

We use complex numbers such that the circle is given by the equation z=1|z| = 1, CC is the complex number ii, A=1A = -1 and B=1B = 1. Let EE be eiαe^{i\alpha} and FF be eiβe^{i\beta}. We determine the distances as functions of tt and uu where
t=tan(α2)andu=tan(β2). t = \tan\left(\frac{\alpha}{2}\right) \quad \text{and} \quad u = \tan\left(\frac{\beta}{2}\right).
To aid calculations below, we observe
1+t2=1cos2(α2)and1+u2=1cos2(β2), 1 + t^2 = \frac{1}{\cos^2\left(\frac{\alpha}{2}\right)} \quad \text{and} \quad 1 + u^2 = \frac{1}{\cos^2\left(\frac{\beta}{2}\right)},
1sinα=12sin(α2)cos(α2)=(cos(α2)sin(α2))2=(1t)21+t2, 1 - \sin \alpha = 1 - 2 \sin \left(\frac{\alpha}{2}\right) \cos \left(\frac{\alpha}{2}\right) = \left(\cos \left(\frac{\alpha}{2}\right) - \sin \left(\frac{\alpha}{2}\right)\right)^2 = \frac{(1 - t)^2}{1 + t^2},
cosα=cos2(α2)sin2(α2)=1t21+t2, \cos \alpha = \cos^2 \left(\frac{\alpha}{2}\right) - \sin^2 \left(\frac{\alpha}{2}\right) = \frac{1 - t^2}{1 + t^2},
1cos(αβ)=1cos2(αβ2)+sin2(αβ2)=2sin2(αβ2)=2(sin(α2)cos(β2)cos(α2)sin(β2))2=2(tu)2(1+t2)(1+u2). \begin{aligned} 1 - \cos(\alpha - \beta) &= 1 - \cos^2\left(\frac{\alpha - \beta}{2}\right) + \sin^2\left(\frac{\alpha - \beta}{2}\right) = 2\sin^2\left(\frac{\alpha - \beta}{2}\right) \\ &= 2\left(\sin\left(\frac{\alpha}{2}\right)\cos\left(\frac{\beta}{2}\right) - \cos\left(\frac{\alpha}{2}\right)\sin\left(\frac{\beta}{2}\right)\right)^2 \\ &= \frac{2(t - u)^2}{(1 + t^2)(1 + u^2)}. \end{aligned}

Because DD is on the line CECE, it is of the form λeiα+(1λ)i\lambda e^{i\alpha} + (1-\lambda)i and has imaginary part equal to 0. Hence λsinα+(1λ)=0\lambda \sin \alpha + (1 - \lambda) = 0 and so λ=11sinα\lambda = \frac{1}{1 - \sin \alpha}. This gives
D=cosα1sinα=1t2(1t)2=1+t1t. D = \frac{\cos \alpha}{1 - \sin \alpha} = \frac{1 - t^2}{(1 - t)^2} = \frac{1 + t}{1 - t}.
A similar argument shows that G=1+u1uG = \frac{1+u}{1-u}. We can now calculate the quantities CE2|CE|^2, EF2|EF|^2, CG2|CG|^2, DG2|DG|^2 as follows:
CE2=cos2α+(1sinα)2=2(1sinα)=2(1t)21+t2 |CE|^2 = \cos^2 \alpha + (1 - \sin \alpha)^2 = 2(1 - \sin \alpha) = \frac{2(1 - t)^2}{1 + t^2}
DG2=1+t1t1+u1u2=4(tu)2(1t)2(1u)2 |DG|^2 = \left| \frac{1+t}{1-t} - \frac{1+u}{1-u} \right|^2 = \frac{4(t-u)^2}{(1-t)^2(1-u)^2}
EF2=(cosαcosβ)2+(sinαsinβ)2=22cosαcosβ2sinαsinβ=2(1cos(αβ))=4(tu)2(1+t2)(1+u2) \begin{align*} |EF|^2 &= (\cos \alpha - \cos \beta)^2 + (\sin \alpha - \sin \beta)^2 = 2 - 2 \cos \alpha \cos \beta - 2 \sin \alpha \sin \beta \\ &= 2(1 - \cos(\alpha - \beta)) = \frac{4(t-u)^2}{(1+t^2)(1+u^2)} \end{align*}
CG2=1+(1+u)2(1u)2=2(1+u2)(1u)2 |CG|^2 = 1 + \frac{(1+u)^2}{(1-u)^2} = \frac{2(1+u^2)}{(1-u)^2}
Hence
CE2DG2=8(1t)2(tu)2(1+t2)(1t)2(1u)2and |CE|^2 \cdot |DG|^2 = \frac{8(1-t)^2(t-u)^2}{(1+t^2)(1-t)^2(1-u)^2} \quad \text{and}
EF2CG2=8(tu)2(1+u2)(1+t2)(1+u2)(1u)2 |EF|^2 \cdot |CG|^2 = \frac{8(t-u)^2(1+u^2)}{(1+t^2)(1+u^2)(1-u)^2}
and it follows that CEDG=EFCG|CE| \cdot |DG| = |EF| \cdot |CG|.

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