Points K and M are the midpoints of the sides AB and AC of triangle ABC, respectively. The equilateral triangles AMN and BKL are constructed on the sides AM and BK to the exterior of the triangle ABC. Point F is the midpoint of the segment LN. Find the value of the angle KFM.
Solution
Answer: 90∘.
Let points A, B, and C lie in the same half-plane with respect to the line LN. Let E and D be the midpoints of the segments AL and AN, respectively (see the Fig.). By condition, the triangle BKL is equilateral and K is the midpoint of the side AB, so BK=KA=KL. Therefore, the triangle BLA is a right-angled triangle (the median LK is half as long as the side AB) and ∠BLA=90∘. By condition, ∠KBL=60∘, so ∠LAB=30∘. By condition, the triangle ANM is equilateral, then ∠NAM=60∘. Therefore, ∠LAN=360∘−∠LAK−∠NAM−∠KAM==360∘−30∘−60∘−∠KAM=270∘−∠KAM.(1) Since FD and FE are the midlines of the triangle LAN, we have FD∥LA and FE∥NA, so EFDA is a parallelogram. Then ∠FDA=∠FEA=180∘−∠LAN=(1)∠KAM−90∘.(2) Since D is the midpoint of the side AN of the equilateral triangle ANM, we have ∠MDA=90∘. Now from (2) it follows that: ∠FDM=∠FDA+∠MDA=∠KAM−90∘+90∘=∠KAM.(3)
In the similar way, we easily find that ∠FEK=∠KAM.(4)
Since EFDA is a parallelogram, we have FD=EA=[∠KEA=90∘,∠EAK=30∘]=KA23. Also DM=[∠MDA=90∘,∠MAD=60∘]=MA23. Therefore, FD:DM=KA:MA, so, taking into account (3), we see that the triangles FDM and KAM are similar, hence ∠MFD=∠MKA, ∠FMD=∠KMA. Thus, ∠KMF=∠KMA+∠AMF=∠FMD+∠AMF=∠AMD=30∘. In the same way, we get △KEF∼△FAM, since KE:EF=KE:AD=21KA:21MA=KA:MA,∠KEF=∠KAM. So ∠EKF=∠AKM, and then ∠FKM=∠FKA+∠AKM=∠FKA+∠EKF=∠EKA=60∘. Thus, ∠KFM=180∘−∠KMF−∠FKM=180∘−30∘−60∘=90∘.
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