Maths Olympiad Prep

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Geometry Difficulty 5.0 AIME Prove it United States

Problem:

In triangle ABCABC, A=60\angle A = 60^\circ. Let EE and FF be points on the extensions of ABAB and ACAC such that BE=CF=BCBE = CF = BC. The circumcircle of ACEACE intersects EFEF in KK (different from EE). Prove that KK lies on the bisector of BAC\angle BAC.

Solution

Solution:

Let the bisector of BAC\angle BAC intersect the circumcircle of ACE\triangle ACE at KK'. The arcs, and hence the chords, KCK'C and KEK'E are equal; since CB=BECB = BE is given, we have KBCKBE\triangle K'BC \cong \triangle K'BE and so KK' is on the bisector of CBE\angle CBE. This shows that KK' is the excenter of ABC\triangle ABC opposite AA. By symmetry, we could have defined KK' as the intersection of the bisector of BAC\angle BAC and the circumcircle of ABF\triangle ABF, and it would have been the same excenter.

To prove that K=KK' = K, it remains to show that FF, KK', and EE are collinear. Since CKE=BKF=120\angle CK'E = \angle BK'F = 120^\circ (by cyclic quads ACKEAC K' E and ABKFAB K' F), it suffices to show that BKC=60\angle BK'C = 60^\circ. But this follows from the properties of the excenter:
BKC=180CBKKCB=18012CBE12FCB=180360ABCBCA2=180180+CAB2=180180+602=60. \begin{aligned} \angle BK'C & = 180 - \angle CBK' - \angle K'CB \\ & = 180 - \frac{1}{2} \angle CBE - \frac{1}{2} \angle FCB \\ & = 180 - \frac{360 - \angle ABC - \angle BCA}{2} \\ & = 180 - \frac{180 + \angle CAB}{2} \\ & = 180 - \frac{180 + 60}{2} = 60. \end{aligned}

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