Maths Olympiad Prep

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Geometry Difficulty 6.8 National Olympiad Prove it Ibero-American Mathematical Olympiad

Problem:

The circle CC has diameter ABAB. The tangent at BB is TT. For each point MM (not equal to AA) on CC there is a circle CC' which touches TT and touches CC at MM. Find the point at which CC' touches TT and find the locus of the center of CC' as MM varies. Show that there is a circle orthogonal to all the circles CC'.

Solution

Solution:

Figure 1
Let OO be the center of CC. Let the line AMAM meet TT at NN. Let the perpendicular to TT at NN meet the line OMOM at OO'. Then ONM=MAB\angle O'NM = \angle MAB (ONO'N parallel to ABAB, because both perpendicular to TT) =OMA= \angle OMA (OM=OAOM = OA) =OMN= \angle O'MN. So OM=ONO'M = O'N. Hence OO' is the center of CC'.

Take BB to be the origin and AA to be the point (2a,0)(2a, 0), so OO is (a,0)(a, 0) and CC has radius aa. If OO' is (x,y)(x, y), then we require that OO=x+aO'O = x + a or (xa)2+y2=(x+a)2(x - a)^2 + y^2 = (x + a)^2, or y2=4axy^2 = 4a x, which is a parabola with vertex BB and axis the xx-axis.

Triangles AMBAMB, ABNABN are similar (AMB=ABN=90\angle AMB = \angle ABN = 90^\circ), so AM/AB=AB/ANAM / AB = AB / AN and hence AMAN=AB2AM \cdot AN = AB^2. Now consider the circle center AA radius ABAB. It must meet the circle CC', because it contains the point MM. Suppose it meets at XX. Then AX2=AB2=AMANAX^2 = AB^2 = AM \cdot AN, so AXAX is tangent to CC' and hence the circles are orthogonal.

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