Consider a tetrahedron and the points on the edges and , respectively. Prove that for any point of the segment , , , there exists a unique pair of points , with and on the edges and , respectively, such that the points and are collinear.
Solution
Since and , if are collinear, we have and . Indeed, if , then and thus , false. The other situations are analogous.
2023 ROMANIAN MATHEMATICAL OLYMPIAD – FINAL ROUND
Existence: Since , the point lies in the interior of the triangle . Denote .
From , it follows that , thus the line intersects the open segment . Denote . Because , we deduce that lies in the interior of the triangle , thus the line intersects the open segment . Denote . The pair satisfies the statement.
Uniqueness: Assume that a pair of points exists, with , , , such that the points , and are collinear. We consider (the situation is analogous). If , then , therefore , false. Consequently , so the distinct straight lines and intersect at . If , we obtain and , thus the points and are coplanar, false. Consequently, the pair is unique.