Points B and C are marked on the half-hyperbola y=1/x which lies in the first quadrant of the Cartesian plane. The abscissa of C is greater than the abscissa of B. Let A be the intersection point of the other half-hyperbola and the line passing through the origin and B.
Prove that the angle BAC is equal to one of the angles between the line BC and the tangent to the hyperbola at point B.
Solution
Let ℓ be tangent to the hyperbola at point B, F be the intersection of x-axis and BC, E be the intersection point of the x-axis and ℓ,
D be the intersection point of ℓ and the line through A parallel to y-axis (see the Fig.). Since A and B are symmetric with respect to the origin, we see that A(−x1;−1/x1). Further,