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Geometry Difficulty 5.9 AIME, harder Prove it Belarus

Let AA, BB, CC denote the intersection points of the diagonals A1A4A_1A_4 and A2A5A_2A_5, A1A6A_1A_6 and A2A7A_2A_7, A1A9A_1A_9 and A2A10A_2A_{10} of the regular decagon A1A2...A9A10A_1A_2...A_9A_{10}, respectively.
Find the angles of the triangle ABCABC.
(Folklore)

Solution

(Solution by A. Goloubitskaya.) Let Γ\Gamma be the circumcircle of the given regular hexagon. It is evident that BB is the center of Γ\Gamma. Since all sides of the regular hexagon are equal, we have 2α=arc A1A2=arc A2A3==arc A9A10=arc A10A1=362\alpha = \text{arc } A_1A_2 = \text{arc } A_2A_3 = \dots = \text{arc } A_9A_{10} = \text{arc } A_{10}A_1 = 36^\circ. Since A1A2=A9A10A_1A_2 = A_9A_{10}, A10A2A1=A1A9A10=α\angle A_{10}A_2A_1 = \angle A_1A_9A_{10} = \alpha and A2A1A9=A2A10A9=7α\angle A_2A_1A_9 = \angle A_2A_{10}A_9 = 7\alpha, it follows that the triangles A1A2CA_1A_2C and A10A9CA_{10}A_9C are equal, so CA1=CA10CA_1 = CA_{10}. Hence the line BCBC is the bisector of the segment A1A10A_1A_{10}. Then the line BCBC contains the altitude, the median, and the bisectrix of the isosceles triangle A10BA1A_{10}BA_1 (BA10=BA1BA_{10} = BA_1). Hence, A1BC=0.5 arc A10A1=α=18\angle A_1BC = 0.5 \text{ arc } A_{10}A_1 = \alpha = 18^\circ. Similarly, A2BA=0.5 arc A2BA4=0.5 arc A2A4=2α=36\angle A_2BA = 0.5 \text{ arc } A_2BA_4 = 0.5 \text{ arc } A_2A_4 = 2\alpha = 36^\circ. Since A2BA1=2α=72\angle A_2BA_1 = 2\alpha = 72^\circ, we have
Figure 1
ABC=ABA2+A2BA1+A1BC=36+36+18=90. \angle ABC = \angle ABA_2 + \angle A_2BA_1 + \angle A_1BC = 36^\circ + 36^\circ + 18^\circ = 90^\circ.

Since AA2C=A5A2A10=5α=90\angle AA_2C = \angle A_5A_2A_{10} = 5\alpha = 90^\circ, we have ABC+AA2C=180\angle ABC + \angle AA_2C = 180^\circ, so the points AA, BB, CC, A2A_2 are concyclic. Then BCA=BA2A=2α=36\angle BCA = \angle BA_2A = 2\alpha = 36^\circ and CAB=180ABCBCA=54\angle CAB = 180^\circ - \angle ABC - \angle BCA = 54^\circ.

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