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Geometry Difficulty 6.8 National olympiad Prove it Ukraine

Let HH be the point of intersection of the altitudes APAP and CQCQ of an acute-angled triangle ABCABC. On the median BMBM points EE and FF are chosen so that APE=BAC\angle APE = \angle BAC, CQF=BCA\angle CQF = \angle BCA, where the point EE lies inside the triangle APBAPB, and the point FF lies inside the triangle CQBCQB. Prove that the lines AEAE, CFCF and BHBH are concurrent.

Solution

We will prove that the lines AEAE and CFCF divide the line segment BHBH in the same ratio (it is easy to see that the points of intersection of the lines AEAE and CFCF with the line BHBH will belong to this segment). Let TT be the point of intersection of the lines AEAE and BHBH (Fig. 52). Then

BTTH=SBATSTAH=BAsinBATAHsinTAH. \frac{BT}{TH} = \frac{S_{\triangle BAT}}{S_{\triangle TAH}} = \frac{BA \cdot \sin \angle BAT}{AH \cdot \sin \angle TAH}.
The lines AEAE, BEBE and CECE are concurrent and so by the trigonometric version of the Ceva's theorem we have:
sinBATsinTAHsinAPEsinEPBsinPBMsinMBA=1, \frac{\sin \angle BAT}{\sin \angle TAH} \cdot \frac{\sin \angle APE}{\sin \angle EPB} \cdot \frac{\sin \angle PBM}{\sin \angle MBA} = 1,
and so

Since SABM=SCBMS_{\square ABM} = S_{\square CBM}, we have that
ABsinABM=BCsinCBMAB \sin \angle ABM = BC \sin \angle CBM, hence
()=BAAHsin(90BAC)sinBACBCAB=BCAHsinABHsinBAC=(). (*) = \frac{BA}{AH} \cdot \frac{\sin(90^\circ - \angle BAC)}{\sin \angle BAC} \cdot \frac{BC}{AB} = \frac{BC}{AH} \cdot \frac{\sin \angle ABH}{\sin \angle BAC} = (**).
Then using the sine theorem for the triangle ABHABH and
taking into account that AHB=180ACB\angle AHB = 180^\circ - \angle ACB, we obtain:
AHsinABH=ABsinAHB=ABsinACB=BCsinBAC, \frac{AH}{\sin \angle ABH} = \frac{AB}{\sin \angle AHB} = \frac{AB}{\sin \angle ACB} = \frac{BC}{\sin \angle BAC},
that is BTTH=()=1\frac{BT}{TH} = (**)=1. So, we have proved that the line AEAE passes through the midpoint of the line segment BHBH. One can similarly prove that the line CFCF also passes through this point, which proves that the lines AEAE, CFCF and BHBH are concurrent.

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