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Geometry Difficulty 8.6 Shortlist Prove it IMO

Let ABCDEFA B C D E F be a convex hexagon with AB=DEA B = D E, BC=EFB C = E F, CD=FAC D = F A, and AD=CF=EB\angle A - \angle D = \angle C - \angle F = \angle E - \angle B. Prove that the diagonals ADA D, BEB E, and CFC F are concurrent.

Solution

In all three solutions, we denote θ=AD=CF=EB\theta = \angle A - \angle D = \angle C - \angle F = \angle E - \angle B and assume without loss of generality that θ0\theta \geqslant 0.

Solution 1. Let x=AB=DEx = A B = D E, y=CD=FAy = C D = F A, z=EF=BCz = E F = B C. Consider the points P,QP, Q, and RR such that the quadrilaterals CDEPC D E P, EFAQE F A Q, and ABCRA B C R are parallelograms. We compute
PEQ=FEQ+DEPE=(180F)+(180D)E=360DEF=12(A+B+CDEF)=θ/2 \begin{aligned} \angle P E Q & = \angle F E Q + \angle D E P - \angle E = (180^\circ - \angle F) + (180^\circ - \angle D) - \angle E \\ & = 360^\circ - \angle D - \angle E - \angle F = \frac{1}{2}(\angle A + \angle B + \angle C - \angle D - \angle E - \angle F) = \theta / 2 \end{aligned}
Similarly, QAR=RCP=θ/2\angle Q A R = \angle R C P = \theta / 2.

Figure 1

If θ=0\theta = 0, since RCP\triangle R C P is isosceles, R=PR = P. Therefore ABRC=PCEDA B \parallel R C = P C \parallel E D, so ABDEA B D E is a parallelogram. Similarly, BCEFB C E F and CDFAC D F A are parallelograms. It follows that ADA D, BEB E and CFC F meet at their common midpoint.

Now assume θ>0\theta > 0. Since PEQ\triangle P E Q, QAR\triangle Q A R, and RCP\triangle R C P are isosceles and have the same angle at the apex, we have PEQQARRCP\triangle P E Q \sim \triangle Q A R \sim \triangle R C P with ratios of similarity y:z:xy : z : x. Thus
PQR is similar to the triangle with sidelengths y,z, and x. \begin{equation*} \triangle P Q R \text{ is similar to the triangle with sidelengths } y, z, \text{ and } x. \tag{1} \end{equation*}
Next, notice that
RQQP=zy=RAAF \frac{R Q}{Q P} = \frac{z}{y} = \frac{R A}{A F}
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) .\text{(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 PQRFAR\triangle P Q R \sim \triangle F A R. Since FA=yF A = y and AR=zA R = z, (1) then implies that FR=xF R = x. Similarly FP=xF P = x. Therefore CRFPC R F P is a rhombus.

We conclude that CFC F is the perpendicular bisector of PRP R. Similarly, BEB E is the perpendicular bisector of PQP Q and ADA D is the perpendicular bisector of QRQ R. It follows that ADA D, BEB E, and CFC F are concurrent at the circumcenter of PQRP Q R.

Solution 2. Let X=CDEFX = C D \cap E F, Y=EFABY = E F \cap A B, Z=ABCDZ = A B \cap C D, X=FABCX' = F A \cap B C, Y=BCDEY' = B C \cap D E, and Z=DEFAZ' = D E \cap F A. From A+B+C=360+θ/2\angle A + \angle B + \angle C = 360^\circ + \theta / 2 we get A+B>180\angle A + \angle B > 180^\circ and B+C>180\angle B + \angle C > 180^\circ, so ZZ and XX' are respectively on the opposite sides of BCB C and ABA B from the hexagon. Similar conclusions hold for X,Y,YX, Y, Y', and ZZ'. Then
YZX=B+C180=E+F180=YZX \angle Y Z X = \angle B + \angle C - 180^\circ = \angle E + \angle F - 180^\circ = \angle Y' Z' X'
and similarly ZXY=ZXY\angle Z X Y = \angle Z' X' Y' and XYZ=XYZ\angle X Y Z = \angle X' Y' Z', so XYZXYZ\triangle X Y Z \sim \triangle X' Y' Z'. Thus there is a rotation RR which sends XYZ\triangle X Y Z to a triangle with sides parallel to XYZ\triangle X' Y' Z'. Since AB=DEA B = D E we have R(AB)=DER(\overrightarrow{A B}) = \overrightarrow{D E}. Similarly, R(CD)=FAR(\overrightarrow{C D}) = \overrightarrow{F A} and R(EF)=BCR(\overrightarrow{E F}) = \overrightarrow{B C}. Therefore
0=AB+BC+CD+DE+EF+FA=(AB+CD+EF)+R(AB+CD+EF) \overrightarrow{0} = \overrightarrow{A B} + \overrightarrow{B C} + \overrightarrow{C D} + \overrightarrow{D E} + \overrightarrow{E F} + \overrightarrow{F A} = (\overrightarrow{A B} + \overrightarrow{C D} + \overrightarrow{E F}) + R(\overrightarrow{A B} + \overrightarrow{C D} + \overrightarrow{E F})
If RR is a rotation by 180180^\circ, 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 \overrightarrow{A B} + \overrightarrow{C D} + \overrightarrow{E F} = \overrightarrow{0}
or else we would have two vectors with different directions whose sum is 0\overrightarrow{0}.

Figure 2

This allows us to consider a triangle LMNL M N with LM=EF\overrightarrow{L M} = \overrightarrow{E F}, MN=AB\overrightarrow{M N} = \overrightarrow{A B}, and NL=CD\overrightarrow{N L} = \overrightarrow{C D}. Let OO be the circumcenter of LMN\triangle L M N and consider the points O1,O2,O3O_1, O_2, O_3 such that AO1B\triangle A O_1 B, CO2D\triangle C O_2 D, and EO3F\triangle E O_3 F are translations of MON\triangle M O N, NOL\triangle N O L, and LOM\triangle L O M, respectively. Since FO3F O_3 and AO1A O_1 are translations of MOM O, quadrilateral AFO3O1A F O_3 O_1 is a parallelogram and O3O1=FA=CD=NLO_3 O_1 = F A = C D = N L. Similarly, O1O2=LMO_1 O_2 = L M and O2O3=MNO_2 O_3 = M N. Therefore O1O2O3LMN\triangle O_1 O_2 O_3 \cong \triangle L M N. Moreover, by means of the rotation RR one may check that these triangles have the same orientation.

Let TT be the circumcenter of O1O2O3\triangle O_1 O_2 O_3. We claim that ADA D, BEB E, and CFC F meet at TT. Let us show that CC, TT, and FF are collinear. Notice that CO2=O2T=TO3=O3FC O_2 = O_2 T = T O_3 = O_3 F since they are all equal to the circumradius of LMN\triangle L M N. Therefore TO3F\triangle T O_3 F and CO2T\triangle C O_2 T 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\text{(T F, T O 3 ) = (F O 3, F T ) and (T O 2, T C ) = (C T, C O 2 ) . 2}
Also, TT and OO are the circumcenters of the congruent triangles O1O2O3\triangle O_1 O_2 O_3 and LMN\triangle L M N so we have (T O 3, T O 2 ) = (O N, O M)\text{(T O 3, T O 2 ) = (O N, O M)}. Since CO2C O_2 and FO3F O_3 are translations of NON O and MOM O respectively, this implies
(T O 3, T O 2 ) = (C O 2, F O 3 ) . 3\text{(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)\text{(T F, T C) = (C T, F T) = - (T F, T C)}
which implies that TT is on CFC F. Analogous arguments show that it is on ADA D and BEB E also. The desired result follows.

Solution 3. Place the hexagon on the complex plane, with AA at the origin and vertices labelled clockwise. Now A,B,C,D,E,FA, B, C, D, E, F represent the corresponding complex numbers. Also consider the complex numbers a,b,c,a,b,ca, b, c, a', b', c' given by BA=aB - A = a, DC=bD - C = b, FE=cF - E = c, ED=aE - D = a', AF=bA - F = b', and CB=cC - B = c'. Let k=a/bk = |a| / |b|. From a/b=keiAa / b' = -k e^{i \angle A} and a/b=keiDa' / b = -k e^{i \angle D} we get that (a/a)(b/b)=eiθ\left(a' / a\right)\left(b' / b\right) = e^{-i \theta} and similarly (b/b)(c/c)=eiθ\left(b' / b\right)\left(c' / c\right) = e^{-i \theta} and (c/c)(a/a)=eiθ\left(c' / c\right)\left(a' / a\right) = e^{-i \theta}. It follows that a=ara' = a r, b=brb' = b r, and c=crc' = c r for a complex number rr with r=1|r| = 1, as shown below.

Figure 3

We have
0=a+cr+b+ar+c+br=(a+b+c)(1+r). 0 = a + c r + b + a r + c + b r = (a + b + c)(1 + r) .
If r=1r = -1, then the hexagon is centrally symmetric and its diagonals intersect at its center of symmetry. Otherwise
a+b+c=0. a + b + c = 0 .
Therefore
A=0,B=a,C=a+cr,D=c(r1),E=brc,F=br. A = 0, \quad B = a, \quad C = a + c r, \quad D = c(r - 1), \quad E = -b r - c, \quad F = -b r .
Now consider a point WW on ADA D given by the complex number c(r1)λc(r - 1) \lambda, where λ\lambda is a real number with 0<λ<10 < \lambda < 1. Since DAD \neq A, we have r1r \neq 1, so we can define s=1/(r1)s = 1 / (r - 1). From rrˉ=r2=1r \bar{r} = |r|^2 = 1 we get
1+s=rr1=rrrrˉ=11rˉ=sˉ. 1 + s = \frac{r}{r - 1} = \frac{r}{r - r \bar{r}} = \frac{1}{1 - \bar{r}} = -\bar{s} .
Now,
W is on BEc(r1)λaa(brc)=b(r1)cλasbaλbλasba(λ+s)b. \begin{aligned} W \text{ is on } B E & \Longleftrightarrow c(r - 1) \lambda - a \| a - (-b r - c) = b(r - 1) \Longleftrightarrow c \lambda - a s \| b \\ & \Longleftrightarrow -a \lambda - b \lambda - a s \| b \Longleftrightarrow a(\lambda + s) \| b . \end{aligned}
One easily checks that r±1r \neq \pm 1 implies that λ+s0\lambda + s \neq 0 since ss is not real. On the other hand,
W on CFc(r1)λ+brbr(a+cr)=a(r1)cλ+b(1+s)aaλbλbsˉab(λ+sˉ)aba(λ+s), \begin{aligned} W \text{ on } C F & \Longleftrightarrow c(r - 1) \lambda + b r \| -b r - (a + c r) = a(r - 1) \Longleftrightarrow c \lambda + b(1 + s) \| a \\ & \Longleftrightarrow -a \lambda - b \lambda - b \bar{s} \| a \Longleftrightarrow b(\lambda + \bar{s}) \| a \Longleftrightarrow b \| a(\lambda + s), \end{aligned}
where in the last step we use that (λ+s)(λ+sˉ)=λ+s2R>0(\lambda + s)(\lambda + \bar{s}) = |\lambda + s|^2 \in \mathbb{R}_{>0}. We conclude that ADBE=CFBEA D \cap B E = C F \cap B E, and the desired result follows.

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