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Geometry Difficulty 8.9 Shortlist Prove it United States

Let P1P2P100P_1P_2 \cdots P_{100} be a cyclic 100-gon, and let Pi=Pi+100P_i = P_{i+100} for all ii. Define QiQ_i as the intersection of diagonals Pi2Pi+1\overline{P_{i-2}P_{i+1}} and Pi1Pi+2\overline{P_{i-1}P_{i+2}} for all integers ii.
Suppose there exists a point PP satisfying PPiPi1Pi+1\overline{PP_i} \perp \overline{P_{i-1}P_{i+1}} for all integers ii. Prove that the points Q1,Q2,,Q100Q_1, Q_2, \dots, Q_{100} are concyclic.

Solution

We show two solutions.

Solution to proposed problem We let PP2\overline{PP_2} and P1P3\overline{P_1P_3} intersect (perpendicularly) at point K2K_2, and define KK_\bullet cyclically.

Figure 1

Claim — The points KK_\bullet are concyclic say with circumcircle γ\gamma.

Proof. Note that PP1×PK1=PP2×PK2=PP_1 \times PK_1 = PP_2 \times PK_2 = \dots so the result follows by inversion at PP. \square

Let EiE_i be the second intersection of line Pi1KiPi+1\overline{P_{i-1}K_iP_{i+1}} with γ\gamma; then it follows that the perpendiculars to Pi1Pi+1\overline{P_{i-1}P_{i+1}} at EiE_i all concur at a point EE, which is the reflection of PP across the center of γ\gamma.

We let H2=P1P3P2P4H_2 = \overline{P_1P_3} \cap \overline{P_2P_4} denote the orthocenter of PP2P3\triangle PP_2P_3 and define HH_\bullet cyclically.

Claim — We have
EH2P1P4K2K3 and PH2E2E3P2P3. \overline{EH_2} \perp \overline{P_1P_4} \parallel \overline{K_2K_3} \text{ and } \overline{PH_2} \perp \overline{E_2E_3} \parallel \overline{P_2P_3}.
Proof. Both parallelisms follow by Reim's theorem through E2H2E3=K2H2K3\angle E_2H_2E_3 = \angle K_2H_2K_3, So we need to show the perpendicularities.
Note that H2P\overline{H_2P} and H2E\overline{H_2E} are respectively circum-diameters of H2K2K3\triangle H_2K_2K_3 and H2E2E3\triangle H_2E_2E_3.
As K2K3\overline{K_2K_3} and E2E3\overline{E_2E_3} are anti-parallel, it follows H2P\overline{H_2P} and H2E\overline{H_2E} are isogonal and we derive both perpendicularities. \square

Claim — The points E,Q3,E3E, Q_3, E_3 are collinear.

Proof. We use the previous claim. The parallelisms imply that
E3H2E3P2=E2H2E2P3=E4H3E4P3=E3H3E3P4. \frac{E_3 H_2}{E_3 P_2} = \frac{E_2 H_2}{E_2 P_3} = \frac{E_4 H_3}{E_4 P_3} = \frac{E_3 H_3}{E_3 P_4}.
Now consider a homothety centered at E3E_3 sending H2H_2 to P2P_2 and H3H_3 to P4P_4. Then it should send the orthocenter of EH2H3\triangle EH_2H_3 to Q3Q_3, proving the result. \square

From all this it follows that EQ2Q3PK2K3\triangle EQ_2Q_3 \sim \triangle PK_2K_3 as the opposite sides are all parallel.
Repeating this we actually find a homothety of 100-gons
Q1Q2Q3K1K2K3 Q_1 Q_2 Q_3 \cdots \sim K_1 K_2 K_3 \cdots
and that concludes the proof.

Solution to generalization (Nikolai Beluhov) We are going to need some well-known lemmas.

Lemma
Suppose that ABCDABCD is inscribed in a circle Γ\Gamma. Let the tangents to Γ\Gamma at AA and BB meet at EE, let the tangents to Γ\Gamma at CC and DD meet at FF, and let diagonals ACAC and BDBD meet at PP. Then points E,FE, F, and PP are collinear.

Proof. Let the circle of center E and radius EA = EB meet lines AC and BD for the second time at points U and V. By a simple angle chase, triangles EUV and FCD are homothetic. \Box

Lemma
Suppose that points X and Y are isogonal conjugates in polygon A=A1A2...AnA = A_1A_2...A_n. (This means that lines AiXA_iX and AiYA_iY are symmetric with respect to the interior angle bisector of Ai1AiAi+1\angle A_{i-1}A_iA_{i+1} for all ii, where An+jAjA_{n+j} \equiv A_j for all jj.) Then the 2n projections of X and Y on the sides of AA are concyclic.

Proof. By a simple angle chase, for all ii we have that the four projections on sides Ai1AiA_{i-1}A_i and AiAi+1A_iA_{i+1} are concyclic. Say that they lie on circle Γi\Gamma_i. Consider the midpoint MM of segment XYXY. For every side ss of AA, we have that MM is equidistant from the projections of XX and YY on ss. Therefore, MM is the center of Γi\Gamma_i for all ii, and thus all of the Γi\Gamma_i coincide. \Box

Lemma
Let Γ\Gamma' and Γ\Gamma'' be two circles and let rr be some fixed real number. Then the locus of points XX such that Pow(X,Γ)\text{Pow}(X, \Gamma'): Pow(X,Γ)=r\text{Pow}(X, \Gamma'') = r is concyclic.

Proof. This is a classical result in circle geometry. A full proof is given, for example, in item 115 of Roger Johnson's Advanced Euclidean Geometry. \Box

We are ready to solve the problem. Let P\mathcal{P} be our polygon, let OO be its the circumcenter, and let Γ\Gamma be its circumcircle.
Fix any index ii. In triangle Pi1PiPi+1P_{i-1}P_iP_{i+1}, we have that line PiPP_iP contains the altitude through PiP_i and line PiOP_iO contains the circumradius through PiP_i. Therefore, these two lines are symmetric with respect to the interior angle bisector of Pi1PiPi+1\angle P_{i-1}P_iP_{i+1}.
Thus points PP and OO are isogonal conjugates in P\mathcal{P}. By Lemma 2, it follows that the projections of OO onto the sides of P\mathcal{P} are concyclic. In other words, the midpoints of the sides of P\mathcal{P} lie on some circle ω\omega.

Let MiM_i be the midpoint of segment PiPi+1P_iP_{i+1} and let the tangents to Γ\Gamma at points PiP_i and Pi+1P_{i+1} meet at TiT_i. Since inversion with respect to Γ\Gamma swaps MiM_i and TiT_i for all ii, and also since all of the MiM_i lie on the same circle ω\omega, we obtain that all of the TiT_i lie on the same circle Ω\Omega.

Again, fix any index ii. By Lemma 1 applied to cyclic quadrilateral Pi2Pi1Pi+1Pi+2P_{i-2}P_{i-1}P_{i+1}P_{i+2}, we have that point QiQ_i lies on line Ti2Ti+1T_{i-2}T_{i+1}. Similarly, point Qi+1Q_{i+1} lies on line Ti1Ti+2T_{i-1}T_{i+2}.

Define
fi=Pow(Qi,Γ)Pow(Qi,Ω). f_i = \frac{\mathrm{Pow}(Q_i, \Gamma)}{\mathrm{Pow}(Q_i, \Omega)}.

Claim — We have fi=fi+1f_i = f_{i+1} for all ii.

Proof. Note that
Pow(Qi,Γ)=QiPi1QiPi+2Pow(Qi+1,Γ)=Qi+1Pi1Qi+1Pi+2Pow(Qi,Ω)=QiTi2QiTi+1Pow(Qi+1,Ω)=Qi+1Ti1Qi+1Ti+2. \begin{aligned} \mathrm{Pow}(Q_i, \Gamma) &= Q_i P_{i-1} \cdot Q_i P_{i+2} \\ \mathrm{Pow}(Q_{i+1}, \Gamma) &= Q_{i+1} P_{i-1} \cdot Q_{i+1} P_{i+2} \\ \mathrm{Pow}(Q_i, \Omega) &= Q_i T_{i-2} \cdot Q_i T_{i+1} \\ \mathrm{Pow}(Q_{i+1}, \Omega) &= Q_{i+1} T_{i-1} \cdot Q_{i+1} T_{i+2}. \end{aligned}

Consider cyclic quadrilateral Ti2Ti1Ti+1Ti+2T_{i-2}T_{i-1}T_{i+1}T_{i+2}. Since Γ\Gamma touches its opposite sides Ti2Ti1T_{i-2}T_{i-1} and Ti+1Ti+2T_{i+1}T_{i+2} at points Pi1P_{i-1} and Pi+2P_{i+2}, we have that line Pi1Pi+2P_{i-1}P_{i+2} makes equal angles with these opposite sides. From here, a simple angle chase shows that triangles Pi1QiTi2P_{i-1}Q_iT_{i-2} and Pi+2Qi+1Ti+2P_{i+2}Q_{i+1}T_{i+2} are similar. Thus
QiPi1QiTi2=Qi+1Pi+2Qi+1Ti+2. \frac{Q_i P_{i-1}}{Q_i T_{i-2}} = \frac{Q_{i+1} P_{i+2}}{Q_{i+1} T_{i+2}}.
Similarly,
QiPi+2QiTi+1=Qi+1Pi1Qi+1Ti1. \frac{Q_i P_{i+2}}{Q_i T_{i+1}} = \frac{Q_{i+1} P_{i-1}}{Q_{i+1} T_{i-1}}.
From these, the desired identity fi=fi+1f_i = f_{i+1} follows. \square

Therefore, the power ratio fif_i is the same for all ii. By Lemma 3 for circles Γ\Gamma and Ω\Omega, the solution is complete.

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