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Geometry Difficulty 8.7 Shortlist Prove it Romania

Let L\mathcal{L} be a finite collection of lines in the plane in general position (no two lines in L\mathcal{L} are parallel and no three are concurrent). Consider the open circular discs inscribed in the triangles enclosed by each triple of lines in L\mathcal{L}. Determine the number of such discs intersected by no line in L\mathcal{L}, in terms of L|\mathcal{L}|.

Solution

The complement of the union of all lines in L\mathcal{L} is the disjoint union of
(L0)+(L1)+(L2) \begin{pmatrix} |\mathcal{L}| \\ 0 \end{pmatrix} + \begin{pmatrix} |\mathcal{L}| \\ 1 \end{pmatrix} + \begin{pmatrix} |\mathcal{L}| \\ 2 \end{pmatrix}
open convex sets called rooms, of which exactly
(L12) \begin{pmatrix} |\mathcal{L}| - 1 \\ 2 \end{pmatrix}
are bounded. Let D0=D0(L)\mathcal{D}_0 = \mathcal{D}_0(\mathcal{L}) denote the set of the discs we are to count. Clearly, each disc in D0\mathcal{D}_0 is contained in some bounded room. We shall prove that each bounded contains exactly one such, whence the conclusion. To this end, we shall first prove that no bounded room contains more than one disc in D0\mathcal{D}_0, and then that each bounded room contains at least one such.

Suppose, if possible, that RR is a bounded room which contains two discs in D0\mathcal{D}_0; one, of radius rr, centered at ω\omega, inscribed in the triangle abcabc enclosed by the lines a,ba, b and cc in L\mathcal{L}; and another, of radius rr', centered at ω\omega', inscribed in the triangle abca'b'c' enclosed by the lines a,ba', b' and cc' in L\mathcal{L}. Clearly, the lines a,b,c,a,ba, b, c, a', b' and cc' support edges on the boundary of RR, the triangles abcabc and abca'b'c' both contain RR, and ω\omega and ω\omega' are distinct. Without loss of generality, we may assume that rrr \le r'. Since ω\omega' lies in the interior of the triangle abcabc and is different from ω\omega, it is within rrr \le r' from one of the lines a,ba, b or cc. Consequently, that line intersects the disc of radius rr' centered at ω\omega' – a contradiction.

We now proceed to prove that each bounded room contains a disc in D0\mathcal{D}_0. Since RR is convex, and no two lines in L\mathcal{L} are parallel, among those lines in L\mathcal{L} which support edges on the boundary of RR, at least three enclose a triangle which contains RR – this is a well-known fact about convex polygons different from a parallelogram. Of all such triangles, choose one with a minimal inradius. We shall prove that the open circular disc DD inscribed in that triangle is contained in RR; in particular, DD is in D0\mathcal{D}_0. Let the triangle be enclosed by the lines a,ba, b and cc in L\mathcal{L}. Since each of the lines a,ba, b and cc supports an edge on the boundary of RR, it follows that DD and RR are not disjoint. Suppose, if possible, that DD is not contained in RR. Then DD contains points on some edge on the boundary of RR. Let dd be a line in L\mathcal{L} that supports such an edge. Clearly, dd is different from a,ba, b and cc, and it is not hard to see that dd and two of the lines a,b,ca, b, c enclose a triangle which contains RR and has an inradius smaller than the radius of DD – a contradiction.

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