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Geometry Difficulty 7.3 National Olympiad, round 2 Prove it Serbia

Problem:

A triangle ABC\triangle ABC is given. Let A1A_{1} be the centrally symmetric image of the intersection point of the bisector of BAC\measuredangle BAC and side BCBC, where the center of symmetry is the midpoint of side BCBC. Analogously we define points B1B_{1} (on side CACA) and C1C_{1} (on side ABAB). The intersection of the circle circumscribed about A1B1C1\triangle A_{1}B_{1}C_{1} with line ABAB is the set {Z,C1}\{Z, C_{1}\}, with line BCBC is the set {X,A1}\{X, A_{1}\}, and with line CACA is the set {Y,B1}\{Y, B_{1}\}. If the perpendiculars from points X,YX, Y and ZZ to BC,CABC, CA and ABAB, respectively, intersect at a single point, prove that ABC\triangle ABC is isosceles.

Solution

Solution:

Recall that points PP and QQ inside ABC\triangle ABC are called isogonally conjugate if PAB = QAC\text{PAB = QAC} and PBC = QBA\text{PBC = QBA}. Then it also holds that PCA = QCB\text{PCA = QCB}.

Lemma. The feet of the perpendiculars from points PP and QQ to the lines BC,CABC, CA and ABAB lie on the same circle.

Proof. Let PaP_{a} and QaQ_{a} be, respectively, the feet of the perpendiculars from PP and QQ to BCBC; similarly we denote Pb,Qb,Pc,QcP_{b}, Q_{b}, P_{c}, Q_{c}. From AP b P c = APP c = AQQ b = AQ c Q b\text{AP b P c = APP c = AQQ b = AQ c Q b} it follows that APbPcAQcQb\triangle AP_{b}P_{c} \sim \triangle AQ_{c}Q_{b}, so the points Pb,Pc,Qb,QcP_{b}, P_{c}, Q_{b}, Q_{c} lie on the same circle kk, whose center is the intersection of the perpendicular bisectors of the segments PbQbP_{b}Q_{b} and PcQcP_{c}Q_{c}, which is precisely the midpoint UU of the segment PQPQ. Similarly, the points Pc,Pa,Qc,QaP_{c}, P_{a}, Q_{c}, Q_{a} are also equidistant from the point UU, so both PaP_{a} and QaQ_{a} also lie on the circle kk.

Suppose that the perpendiculars from X,YX, Y and ZZ to BC,CABC, CA and ABAB, respectively, intersect at the point PP. If the point QQ is isogonally conjugate to the point PP in ABC\triangle ABC, then by the Lemma the feet of the perpendiculars from QQ to BC,CABC, CA and ABAB are precisely the points A1,B1A_{1}, B_{1} and C1C_{1}.

Let us denote by A0,B0A_{0}, B_{0} and C0C_{0}, respectively, the intersections of the internal angle bisectors at A,BA, B and CC with the opposite sides. As usual, BC=a,CA=bBC = a, CA = b and AB=cAB = c. From the ratio BA0:A0C=c:bBA_{0} : A_{0}C = c : b we find BA1=A0C=abb+cBA_{1} = A_{0}C = \frac{ab}{b+c} and, similarly, A1C=acb+c,CB1=bcc+a,B1A=bac+a,AC1=caa+bA_{1}C = \frac{ac}{b+c}, CB_{1} = \frac{bc}{c+a}, B_{1}A = \frac{ba}{c+a}, AC_{1} = \frac{ca}{a+b} and C1B=cba+bC_{1}B = \frac{cb}{a+b}. We now have

Figure 1

0=(BA12A1C2)+(CB12B1A2)+(AC12C1B2)=a2(bc)b+c+b2(ca)c+a+c2(ab)a+b=a4(bc)+b4(ca)+c4(ab)(bc)(ca)(ab)(ab+bc+ca)(b+c)(c+a)(a+b)=(bc)(ca)(ab)(a+b+c)2(b+c)(c+a)(a+b) \begin{aligned} 0 & = \left(BA_{1}^{2} - A_{1}C^{2}\right) + \left(CB_{1}^{2} - B_{1}A^{2}\right) + \left(AC_{1}^{2} - C_{1}B^{2}\right) \\ & = \frac{a^{2}(b-c)}{b+c} + \frac{b^{2}(c-a)}{c+a} + \frac{c^{2}(a-b)}{a+b} \\ & = \frac{a^{4}(b-c) + b^{4}(c-a) + c^{4}(a-b) - (b-c)(c-a)(a-b)(ab+bc+ca)}{(b+c)(c+a)(a+b)} \\ & = -\frac{(b-c)(c-a)(a-b)(a+b+c)^{2}}{(b+c)(c+a)(a+b)} \end{aligned}

from which it follows that a=ba = b or a=ca = c or b=cb = c.

Second solution. As in the first solution, BA1=A0C=abb+c,A1C=acb+c,CB1=bcc+aBA_{1} = A_{0}C = \frac{ab}{b+c}, A_{1}C = \frac{ac}{b+c}, CB_{1} = \frac{bc}{c+a}, B1A=bac+a,AC1=caa+bB_{1}A = \frac{ba}{c+a}, AC_{1} = \frac{ca}{a+b} and C1B=cba+bC_{1}B = \frac{cb}{a+b}. Let us denote BX=x,CY=yBX = x, CY = y and AZ=zAZ = z. The power of the point AA gives AB1AY=AC1AZAB_{1} \cdot AY = AC_{1} \cdot AZ, i.e. byc+a+cza+b=b2c+a\frac{by}{c+a} + \frac{cz}{a+b} = \frac{b^{2}}{c+a}. Similarly we obtain cza+b+axb+c=c2a+b\frac{cz}{a+b} + \frac{ax}{b+c} = \frac{c^{2}}{a+b} and axb+c+byc+a=a2b+c\frac{ax}{b+c} + \frac{by}{c+a} = \frac{a^{2}}{b+c}. From this it follows that 2axb+c=a2b+c+c2a+bb2c+a\frac{2ax}{b+c} = \frac{a^{2}}{b+c} + \frac{c^{2}}{a+b} - \frac{b^{2}}{c+a} which reduces to x=12a(b+c)(bc)(b2+c2+ab+ac+bc)2a(a+b)(a+c)x = \frac{1}{2}a - \frac{(b+c)(b-c)(b^{2} + c^{2} + ab + ac + bc)}{2a(a+b)(a+c)}, etc. The condition that the three perpendiculars are concurrent is

0=(a+b)(a+c)(b+c)[x2(ax)2+y2(by)2+z2(cz)2]=(b+c)2(cb)(Ta2)+(c+a)2(ac)(Tb2)+(a+b)2(ba)(Tc2)=a2(b+c)2(bc)+b2(c+a)2(ca)+c2(a+b)2(ab)(ab)(bc)(ca)T=(ab)(bc)(ca)(a+b+c)2 \begin{aligned} 0 & = (a+b)(a+c)(b+c)\left[x^{2} - (a-x)^{2} + y^{2} - (b-y)^{2} + z^{2} - (c-z)^{2}\right] \\ & = (b+c)^{2}(c-b)(T - a^{2}) + (c+a)^{2}(a-c)(T - b^{2}) + (a+b)^{2}(b-a)(T - c^{2}) \\ & = a^{2}(b+c)^{2}(b-c) + b^{2}(c+a)^{2}(c-a) + c^{2}(a+b)^{2}(a-b) - (a-b)(b-c)(c-a)T \\ & = -(a-b)(b-c)(c-a)(a+b+c)^{2} \end{aligned}

where T=a2+b2+c2+ab+bc+caT = a^{2} + b^{2} + c^{2} + ab + bc + ca.

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Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement translated into English from sr; metadata (topic, difficulty) added by this project.