Maths Olympiad Prep

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Geometry Difficulty 5.7 AIME, harder Prove it Argentina

Let ABCABC be a triangle with C=90\angle C = 90^\circ and AC=1AC = 1. The median AMAM intersects the incircle at points PP and QQ such that AP=QMAP = QM. Find the length of PQPQ.

Solution

One may assume PP between AA and QQ. Let the incircle touch sides BCBC and CACA at UU and VV respectively. By power of a point AV2=APAQAV^2 = AP \cdot AQ, MU2=MQMPMU^2 = MQ \cdot MP. Also AQ=MPAQ = MP as AP=QMAP = QM, and so AV2=MU2AV^2 = MU^2, AV=MUAV = MU. On the other hand CU=CVCU = CV by equal tangents, hence AC=AV+CV=MU+CU=MCAC = AV + CV = MU + CU = MC. Because MM is the midpoint of BCBC, it follows that BC=2AC=2BC = 2AC = 2. Therefore AB=AC2+BC2=5AB = \sqrt{AC^2 + BC^2} = \sqrt{5}. In addition triangle AMCAMC is right and isosceles, with AMC=MAC=45\angle AMC = \angle MAC = 45^\circ.

Figure 1

We employ the equality AV2=APAQAV^2 = AP \cdot AQ again to compute PQPQ. First, AV=12(AB+ACBC)=512AV = \frac{1}{2}(AB+AC-BC) = \frac{\sqrt{5}-1}{2}. (If the incircle touches ABAB at TT then AV=ATAV = AT, BT=BUBT = BU, CU=CVCU = CV imply AV+BU+CU=12(AB+BC+CA)AV+BU+CU = \frac{1}{2}(AB + BC + CA); on the other hand BU+CU=BCBU + CU = BC.) Second, AMAM and PQPQ have common midpoint NN because AP=QMAP = QM. So if PQ=2xPQ = 2x then PN=NQ=xPN = NQ = x, AP=ANxAP = AN-x, AQ=AN+xAQ = AN+x. Since NN is the midpoint of the hypotenuse AMAM of the right triangle AMCAMC with MAC=45\angle MAC = 45^\circ, we have AN=AC2=12AN = \frac{AC}{\sqrt{2}} = \frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}. Thus AV2=APAQAV^2 = AP \cdot AQ takes the form (512)2=(12x)(12+x)\left(\frac{\sqrt{5}-1}{2}\right)^2 = \left(\frac{1}{\sqrt{2}} - x\right)\left(\frac{1}{\sqrt{2}} + x\right), or 352=12x2\frac{3-\sqrt{5}}{2} = \frac{1}{2} - x^2. Hence x=522x = \sqrt{\frac{\sqrt{5}-2}{2}}, PQ=2x=254PQ = 2x = \sqrt{2\sqrt{5}-4}.

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