Maths Olympiad Prep

Library / IMO Hk TST /82 of 119

IMO Hk TST, 1997

Geometry Difficulty 8.2 Shortlist Prove it Hong Kong

Two circles C1,C2C_1, C_2 with different radii are given in the plane. They touch each other externally at TT. Consider any points A∈C1A \in C_1 and B∈C2B \in C_2, both different from TT, such that ∠ATB=90∘\angle ATB = 90^\circ.

a. Show that all such lines ABAB are concurrent.

b. Find the locus of midpoints of all such segments ABAB.

Solution

a.
Let O1O_1 and O2O_2 be the centres of C1C_1 and C2C_2 respectively. Let O1O2O_1O_2 meet C1C_1 and C2C_2 again at CC and DD respectively. Note that CTCT and DTDT are diameters of the two circles. Therefore, we have
∠CAT=∠BTA=∠TBD=90∘. \angle CAT = \angle BTA = \angle TBD = 90^\circ.
This implies AC∥BTAC \parallel BT and AT∥BDAT \parallel BD, and so △ACT∼△BTD\triangle ACT \sim \triangle BTD. Since the radii are distinct, the triangles are not congruent. Thus, ABAB meets CDCD at a point XX. Note that △XAC∼△XBT\triangle XAC \sim \triangle XBT. Using the similar triangles, we obtain
XTXC=BTAC=TDCT, \frac{XT}{XC} = \frac{BT}{AC} = \frac{TD}{CT},
which is a fixed ratio. Therefore, XX is a fixed point (as directed lengths are used). In other words, all such lines ABAB are concurrent at XX.

Figure 1

b.
The locus is the circle with diameter O1O2O_1O_2.
Let MM be the midpoint of ABAB. Since MM and O1O_1 are the midpoints of ABAB and CTCT, we have AC∥MO1∥BTAC \parallel MO_1 \parallel BT. Similarly, we have AT∥MO2∥BDAT \parallel MO_2 \parallel BD. This implies ∠O1MO2=90∘\angle O_1MO_2 = 90^\circ, and hence MM lies on the circle Γ\Gamma with diameter O1O2O_1O_2.
When AA approaches CC from above, the point BB approaches TT from above. This shows MM approaches O1O_1 from above. When AA approaches CC from below, the point BB approaches TT from below. This shows MM approaches O1O_1 from below. Also, M=O1M = O_1 only when A=CA = C and B=TB = T. By continuity, MM runs through all points on Γ\Gamma, and so Γ\Gamma is the locus of MM.

Want a route through all this instead of an archive? The track puts 2,604 problems in a working order, from Junior Challenge level to the IMO shortlist.

Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement reproduced verbatim; metadata (topic, difficulty) added by this project.