Maths Olympiad Prep

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, 2009

Geometry Difficulty 6.3 National Olympiad Prove it Vietnam

In the plane fix two points A,BA, B (ABA \neq B). Consider a point CC moving in the plane such that ACB=α\overrightarrow{ACB} = \alpha, where α\alpha is a given angle (0<α<1800^\circ < \alpha < 180^\circ). The circle with center in II, inscribed the triangle ABCABC touches the sides ABAB, BCBC and CACA in the points DD, EE and FF, respectively. The line AIAI and BIBI intersect EFEF in MM and NN, respectively. Show that:
1/ The segment MNMN has constant length;
2/ The circumcircle of the triangle DMNDMN goes through a fix-point.

Solution

1/ Consider the triangle AFMAFM, we have:
AMF^=180(MFA^+FAM^)=90(EFI^+FAM^)=90(ECI^+FAM^)=90(C2+A2)=B2=IBA^. \begin{align*} \widehat{AMF} &= 180^\circ - (\widehat{MFA} + \widehat{FAM}) = 90^\circ - (\widehat{EFI} + \widehat{FAM}) = 90^\circ - (\widehat{ECI} + \widehat{FAM}) \\ &= 90^\circ - \left(\frac{C}{2} + \frac{A}{2}\right) = \frac{B}{2} = \widehat{IBA}. \end{align*}
We also have: NIM^=AIB^\widehat{NIM} = \widehat{AIB}.
Hence: IMNIBA\triangle IMN \sim \triangle IBA. (*)
Hence, draw IHMNIH \perp MN, we obtain:
MNBA=IHID=IHIF=sinEFI^=sinα2. \frac{MN}{BA} = \frac{IH}{ID} = \frac{IH}{IF} = \sin \widehat{EFI} = \sin \frac{\alpha}{2}.
Consequently: MN=BAsinα2=const.MN = BA \cdot \sin \frac{\alpha}{2} = \text{const.}

Figure 1

2/ It is easy to see that the points FF and DD are symmetric with respect to the line AMAM. According to (*), we have: IMD^=IBD^\widehat{IMD} = \widehat{IBD}. Thus, the quadrilateral IMBD^\widehat{IMBD} is cyclic.
Hence BMA^=90\widehat{BMA} = 90^\circ, in other words BMA^\widehat{BMA} is a right triangle in M^\widehat{M}. Hence, let PP be the middle point of ABAB, we have BPM^=2BAM^=BAC^\widehat{BPM} = 2\widehat{BAM} = \widehat{BAC}.
Since the point EE and DD are symmetric with respect to the line BNBN, according to (*)
we have:
MND^=2INM^=2IAB^=BAC^. \widehat{MND} = 2\widehat{INM} = 2\widehat{IAB} = \widehat{BAC}.
Thus, we have BPM^=MND^\widehat{BPM} = \widehat{MND}. Consequently the points M,N,D,PM, N, D, P lie in one circle.
This means the circumcircle of DMN\triangle DMN goes through the fix point PP - the middle point of ABAB.

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