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Geometry Difficulty 5.4 AIME, harder Prove it Russia

A right prism ABCA1B1C1ABC A_1 B_1 C_1 is given. It is known that triangles A1BCA_1 BC, AB1CAB_1 C, ABC1ABC_1, and ABCABC are acute-angled. Prove that the orthocenters of these triangles, and the centroid of ABCABC lie on a sphere.

Solution

Let MM and HH denote the centroid and orthocenter of triangle ABCABC respectively, and let TT be a point such that 3MT=AA1=BB1=CC13\overrightarrow{MT} = \overrightarrow{AA_1} = \overrightarrow{BB_1} = \overrightarrow{CC_1}. Let ω\omega be the sphere with diameter HTHT. Since the line MTMT is perpendicular to the plane ABCABC, the point MM lies on ω\omega. We will show that the orthocenter H1H_1 of triangle A1BCA_1 BC also lies on ω\omega (the proof for the other two triangles is analogous).
Let NN be the midpoint of segment BCBC. Since NA=3NMNA = 3NM, the point TT lies on segment A1NA_1 N, and consequently lies in the

Figure 1

plane A1BCA_1BC. Let AAAA' be the altitude of triangle ABCABC. As AA1AA_1 is perpendicular to the plane ABCABC, we have A1AA=90\angle A_1AA' = 90^\circ, and by the Three Perpendiculars Theorem, AA1BCA'A_1 \perp BC, meaning H1H_1 lies on segment A1AA_1A'.
Since the reflection of HH over BCBC lies on the circumcircle of ABCABC, we have AHAA=ABACA'H \cdot A'A = A'B \cdot A'C. Applying the same reasoning to triangle A1BCA_1BC gives AH1AA1=ABAC=AHAAA'H_1 \cdot A'A_1 = A'B \cdot A'C = A'H \cdot A'A. Therefore, quadrilateral AHH1A1AHH_1A_1 is cyclic, so HH1A1=180A1AH=90\angle HH_1A_1 = 180^\circ - \angle A_1AH = 90^\circ.
Furthermore, since HABCHA' \perp BC and H1ABCH_1A' \perp BC, applying the Three Perpendiculars Theorem again shows that line HH1HH_1 is perpendicular to the plane A1BCA_1BC. Thus, HH1T=90\angle HH_1T = 90^\circ, proving that H1H_1 lies on sphere ω\omega, as required.

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