Let ABCDEF be a convex hexagon with AB=DE, BC=EF, CD=FA, and ∠A−∠D=∠C−∠F=∠E−∠B. Prove that the diagonals AD, BE, and CF are concurrent.
Solution
In all three solutions, we denote θ=∠A−∠D=∠C−∠F=∠E−∠B and assume without loss of generality that θ⩾0.
Solution 1. Let x=AB=DE, y=CD=FA, z=EF=BC. Consider the points P,Q, and R such that the quadrilaterals CDEP, EFAQ, and ABCR are parallelograms. We compute ∠PEQ=∠FEQ+∠DEP−∠E=(180∘−∠F)+(180∘−∠D)−∠E=360∘−∠D−∠E−∠F=21(∠A+∠B+∠C−∠D−∠E−∠F)=θ/2 Similarly, ∠QAR=∠RCP=θ/2.
If θ=0, since △RCP is isosceles, R=P. Therefore AB∥RC=PC∥ED, so ABDE is a parallelogram. Similarly, BCEF and CDFA are parallelograms. It follows that AD, BE and CF meet at their common midpoint.
Now assume θ>0. Since △PEQ, △QAR, and △RCP are isosceles and have the same angle at the apex, we have △PEQ∼△QAR∼△RCP with ratios of similarity y:z:x. Thus △PQR is similar to the triangle with sidelengths y,z, and x.(1) Next, notice that QPRQ=yz=AFRA and, using directed angles between rays, (R Q, Q P) = (R Q, Q E) + (Q E, Q P) = (R Q, Q E) + (R A, R Q) = (R A, Q E) = (R A, A F) . Thus △PQR∼△FAR. Since FA=y and AR=z, (1) then implies that FR=x. Similarly FP=x. Therefore CRFP is a rhombus.
We conclude that CF is the perpendicular bisector of PR. Similarly, BE is the perpendicular bisector of PQ and AD is the perpendicular bisector of QR. It follows that AD, BE, and CF are concurrent at the circumcenter of PQR.
Solution 2. Let X=CD∩EF, Y=EF∩AB, Z=AB∩CD, X′=FA∩BC, Y′=BC∩DE, and Z′=DE∩FA. From ∠A+∠B+∠C=360∘+θ/2 we get ∠A+∠B>180∘ and ∠B+∠C>180∘, so Z and X′ are respectively on the opposite sides of BC and AB from the hexagon. Similar conclusions hold for X,Y,Y′, and Z′. Then ∠YZX=∠B+∠C−180∘=∠E+∠F−180∘=∠Y′Z′X′ and similarly ∠ZXY=∠Z′X′Y′ and ∠XYZ=∠X′Y′Z′, so △XYZ∼△X′Y′Z′. Thus there is a rotation R which sends △XYZ to a triangle with sides parallel to △X′Y′Z′. Since AB=DE we have R(AB)=DE. Similarly, R(CD)=FA and R(EF)=BC. Therefore 0=AB+BC+CD+DE+EF+FA=(AB+CD+EF)+R(AB+CD+EF) If R is a rotation by 180∘, then any two opposite sides of our hexagon are equal and parallel, so the three diagonals meet at their common midpoint. Otherwise, we must have AB+CD+EF=0 or else we would have two vectors with different directions whose sum is 0.
This allows us to consider a triangle LMN with LM=EF, MN=AB, and NL=CD. Let O be the circumcenter of △LMN and consider the points O1,O2,O3 such that △AO1B, △CO2D, and △EO3F are translations of △MON, △NOL, and △LOM, respectively. Since FO3 and AO1 are translations of MO, quadrilateral AFO3O1 is a parallelogram and O3O1=FA=CD=NL. Similarly, O1O2=LM and O2O3=MN. Therefore △O1O2O3≅△LMN. Moreover, by means of the rotation R one may check that these triangles have the same orientation.
Let T be the circumcenter of △O1O2O3. We claim that AD, BE, and CF meet at T. Let us show that C, T, and F are collinear. Notice that CO2=O2T=TO3=O3F since they are all equal to the circumradius of △LMN. Therefore △TO3F and △CO2T are isosceles. Using directed angles between rays again, we get (T F, T O 3 ) = (F O 3, F T ) and (T O 2, T C ) = (C T, C O 2 ) . 2 Also, T and O are the circumcenters of the congruent triangles △O1O2O3 and △LMN so we have (T O 3, T O 2 ) = (O N, O M). Since CO2 and FO3 are translations of NO and MO respectively, this implies (T O 3, T O 2 ) = (C O 2, F O 3 ) . 3 Adding the three equations in (2) and (3) gives (T F, T C) = (C T, F T) = - (T F, T C) which implies that T is on CF. Analogous arguments show that it is on AD and BE also. The desired result follows.
Solution 3. Place the hexagon on the complex plane, with A at the origin and vertices labelled clockwise. Now A,B,C,D,E,F represent the corresponding complex numbers. Also consider the complex numbers a,b,c,a′,b′,c′ given by B−A=a, D−C=b, F−E=c, E−D=a′, A−F=b′, and C−B=c′. Let k=∣a∣/∣b∣. From a/b′=−kei∠A and a′/b=−kei∠D we get that (a′/a)(b′/b)=e−iθ and similarly (b′/b)(c′/c)=e−iθ and (c′/c)(a′/a)=e−iθ. It follows that a′=ar, b′=br, and c′=cr for a complex number r with ∣r∣=1, as shown below.
We have 0=a+cr+b+ar+c+br=(a+b+c)(1+r). If r=−1, then the hexagon is centrally symmetric and its diagonals intersect at its center of symmetry. Otherwise a+b+c=0. Therefore A=0,B=a,C=a+cr,D=c(r−1),E=−br−c,F=−br. Now consider a point W on AD given by the complex number c(r−1)λ, where λ is a real number with 0<λ<1. Since D=A, we have r=1, so we can define s=1/(r−1). From rrˉ=∣r∣2=1 we get 1+s=r−1r=r−rrˉr=1−rˉ1=−sˉ. Now, W is on BE⟺c(r−1)λ−a∥a−(−br−c)=b(r−1)⟺cλ−as∥b⟺−aλ−bλ−as∥b⟺a(λ+s)∥b. One easily checks that r=±1 implies that λ+s=0 since s is not real. On the other hand, W on CF⟺c(r−1)λ+br∥−br−(a+cr)=a(r−1)⟺cλ+b(1+s)∥a⟺−aλ−bλ−bsˉ∥a⟺b(λ+sˉ)∥a⟺b∥a(λ+s), where in the last step we use that (λ+s)(λ+sˉ)=∣λ+s∣2∈R>0. We conclude that AD∩BE=CF∩BE, and the desired result follows.
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