Maths Olympiad Prep

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Geometry Difficulty 5.5 AIME, harder Prove it Netherlands

In acute-angled triangle ABCABC with BC<BA|BC| < |BA|, point NN is the midpoint of ACAC. The circle with diameter ABAB intersects the bisector of B\angle B in two points: BB and XX.
Prove that XNXN is parallel to BCBC.

Figure 1

Solution

Let MM be the midpoint of ABAB. We will show that both MXMX and MNMN are parallel to BCBC.

To show that MXMX is parallel to BCBC, we note that BMXBMX is an isosceles triangle with apex MM. After all, MXMX and MBMB are the radius of the circle. It follows that MXB=MBX\angle MXB = \angle MBX. Since also MBX=XBC\angle MBX = \angle XBC, we have that MXB\angle MXB and XBC\angle XBC are alternate interior angles, and so MXMX and BCBC are parallel.

To show that MNMN is parallel to BCBC, we note that triangle ABCABC and AMNAMN are similar, since ANAC=12=AMAB\frac{|AN|}{|AC|} = \frac{1}{2} = \frac{|AM|}{|AB|} and BAC=MAN\angle BAC = \angle MAN. It follows that AMN=ABC\angle AMN = \angle ABC and because these are corresponding angles MNMN and BCBC are parallel.

It follows that MXMX and MNMN are in fact the same line, and that line is also the line XNXN. Hence, XNXN is parallel to BCBC.

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