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Geometry Difficulty 8.2 Shortlist Prove it Romania

Let ABCDABCD be a cyclic quadrangle and let MM and NN be the midpoints of the sides ADAD and BCBC, respectively. The circle through AA and DD tangent to ACAC crosses the line ABAB again at PP and the circle through BB and CC tangent to BDBD crosses the line ABAB again at QQ. Let tAt_A be the tangent of the circle AMPAMP at AA and let tBt_B be the tangent of the circle BNQBNQ at BB. Prove that the lines CDCD, tAt_A and tBt_B are concurrent.

Solution

We first prove that the triangles ADPADP and CDBCDB are similar. Since ABCDABCD is cyclic, DAP=DCB\angle DAP = \angle DCB; and since ACAC is tangent to the circle ADPADP, CBD=CAD=APD\angle CBD = \angle CAD = \angle APD. Consequently, the triangles ADPADP and CDBCDB are similar.

Let RR be the midpoint of CDCD. The points MM and RR correspond under the above similarity, so PMA=BRC\angle PMA = \angle BRC.

Let the line CDCD meet the circle ABRABR again at KK (possibly, K=RK = R). Notice that BAK=BRC=PMA\angle BAK = \angle BRC = \angle PMA, so AKAK is tangent to the circle AMPAMP.

Similarly, BKBK is tangent to the circle BNQBNQ and the conclusion follows.

Alternative solution.
We prove the conclusion under the weaker assumptions that ABCDABCD is merely convex and AM/DM=CN/BNAM/DM = CN/BN.

Let ABAB and CDCD meet at EE; if the two are parallel, then EE is their common ideal point. Let CDCD cross tAt_A and tBt_B at KAK_A and KBK_B, respectively. We will show that KA=KBK_A = K_B, whence the conclusion.

Let II and JJ be the ideal points of ADAD and BCBC, respectively. The line pencils
(AD,AC,AE,AKAAD, AC, AE, AK_A) and (PA,PD,PI,PMPA, PD, PI, PM)
are congruent, since KAAD=APM\angle K_A AD = \angle APM, CAD=APD\angle CAD = \angle APD and IAE=IPE\angle IAE = \angle IPE. Hence (D,C;E,KA)=(AD,AC;AE,AKA)=(PA,PD;PI,PM)=(A,D;I,M)=DM/AM(D, C; E, K_A) = (AD, AC; AE, AK_A) = (PA, PD; PI, PM) = (A, D; I, M) = DM/AM. Similarly, (D,C;E,KB)=(BD,BC;BE,BKB)=(QC,QB;QJ,QN)=(C,B;J,N)=BN/CN(D, C; E, K_B) = (BD, BC; BE, BK_B) = (QC, QB; QJ, QN) = (C, B; J, N) = BN/CN.

Finally, recall the assumption AM/DM=CN/BNAM/DM = CN/BN. By the preceding, (D,C;E,KA)=(D,C;E,KB)(D, C; E, K_A) = (D, C; E, K_B), so KA=KBK_A = K_B, as desired. This ends the proof.

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