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Geometry Difficulty 8.5 Shortlist Prove it Netherlands

Let ABC\triangle ABC be an acute-angled triangle such that AB<AC|AB| < |AC| with circumscribed circle Γ\Gamma with centre OO. Points D,ED, E and FF are constructed as the feet of the altitudes from A,BA, B and CC, respectively. We let PP be the intersection point of the tangents to Γ\Gamma through BB and CC. The line through PP perpendicular to EFEF intersects the line ADAD at the point QQ. Let RR be the perpendicular projection of AA onto EFEF.
Prove that the lines DRDR and OQOQ are parallel.

Solution

Since OO is the circumcentre, we get that
BAO=12(180AOB)=90ACB=90EFA=FAR, \begin{align*} \angle BAO &= \frac{1}{2}(180^\circ - \angle AOB) \\ &= 90^\circ - \angle ACB \\ &= 90^\circ - \angle EFA \\ &= \angle FAR, \end{align*}
where we also used that BCEFBCEF is a cyclic quadrilateral due to Thales and that RR is the perpendicular projection of AA onto EFEF. From this we conclude that AA, RR, and OO are collinear. Thus, to show that DRDR and OQOQ are parallel, it suffices to show that ARAD=AOAQ\frac{|AR|}{|AD|} = \frac{|AO|}{|AQ|}.

On the other hand, we know that
POB=12COB=CAB=EAB \angle POB = \frac{1}{2} \angle COB = \angle CAB = \angle EAB
due to symmetry and the fact that OO is the circumcentre. Also, OBP=90=AEB\angle OBP = 90^\circ = \angle AEB. So we find that POBBAE\triangle POB \sim \triangle BAE from which it follows that AEAB=BOOP\frac{|AE|}{|AB|} = \frac{|BO|}{|OP|}.

Furthermore, the lines AOAO and PQPQ are parallel because they are both perpendicular to EFEF, and the lines AQAQ and OPOP are parallel because they are both perpendicular to BCBC. This means that AOPQAOPQ is a parallelogram, and in particular that OP=AQ|OP| = |AQ|. Also, of course, we know that BO=AO|BO| = |AO|. So we conclude that
ARAD=AEAB=BOOP=AOAQ \frac{|AR|}{|AD|} = \frac{|AE|}{|AB|} = \frac{|BO|}{|OP|} = \frac{|AO|}{|AQ|}
From which it follows that DRDR and OQOQ are parallel. \square

Because of the cyclic quadrilateral BCEFBCEF, we have AEFABC\triangle AEF \sim \triangle ABC. Under this similarity, the altitude ARAR is mapped to the altitude ADAD. (Alternatively, one can simply show that AREADB\triangle ARE \sim \triangle ADB.) It follows that ARAD=AEAB\frac{|AR|}{|AD|} = \frac{|AE|}{|AB|}.

Figure 1

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