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Geometry Difficulty 6.0 National Olympiad Prove it Hong Kong

Let A1A2AnA_1A_2\cdots A_n be a cyclic polygon (n3n \ge 3). Find the maximum number of distinct acute-angled triangles whose vertices are chosen from A1,A2,,AnA_1, A_2, \dots, A_n.

Solution

The maximum number of acute-angled triangles is n(n1)(n+1)24\frac{n(n-1)(n+1)}{24} if nn is odd and is n(n2)(n+2)24\frac{n(n-2)(n+2)}{24} if nn is even.

We first count the number N1N_1 of non-acute triangles with A1A_1 as one vertex such that A1<90\angle A_1 < 90^\circ. Let \ell be the diameter of the circle which passes through A1A_1. Then for points B,CB, C on the circle, A1BC\triangle A_1BC is not acute with BA1C<90\angle BA_1C < 90^\circ if and only if BB and CC lie on the same side of \ell (possibly on \ell). Suppose there are aa points on one side of \ell and bb points on the other side of \ell other than A1A_1. Note that the two sides share at most one common point which is the other intersection of \ell and the circle. Therefore, we must have a+b=n1a+b=n-1 or a+b=na+b=n. We find that
N1=(a2)+(b2). N_1 = \binom{a}{2} + \binom{b}{2}.
We have to minimize N1N_1. Note that bn1ab \ge n-1-a so that (b2)(n1a2)\binom{b}{2} \ge \binom{n-1-a}{2}.
WLOG assume an1aa \ge n-1-a. If nn is odd, then (a,n1a)>(n12,n12)(a, n-1-a) > \left(\frac{n-1}{2}, \frac{n-1}{2}\right).
Applying the majorization inequality, we obtain
N1(a2)+(n1a2)(n12)+(n12)=(n1)(n3)4. N_1 \ge \binom{a}{2} + \binom{n-1-a}{2} \ge \left(\frac{n-1}{2}\right) + \left(\frac{n-1}{2}\right) = \frac{(n-1)(n-3)}{4}.
The same bound holds if we replace A1A_1 by any other vertex AjA_j. We sum up all the lower bounds. Note that each non-acute triangle is counted twice in

this sum (one corresponding to each acute angle). Therefore, the number of non-acute triangles is at least
n(n1)(n3)412=n(n1)(n3)8. n \cdot \frac{(n-1)(n-3)}{4} \cdot \frac{1}{2} = \frac{n(n-1)(n-3)}{8}.
Thus, the number of acute triangles is at most
(n3)n(n1)(n3)8=n(n1)(n+1)24. \binom{n}{3} - \frac{n(n-1)(n-3)}{8} = \frac{n(n-1)(n+1)}{24}.
This can be attained when A1A2AnA_1A_2\cdots A_n is a regular polygon (since in that case all inequalities used become equalities).

Similarly, if nn is even, then (a,n1a)>(n2,n22)(a, n-1-a) > \left(\frac{n}{2}, \frac{n-2}{2}\right). Applying the majorization inequality, we obtain
N1(a2)+(n1a2)(n22)+(n222)=(n2)24. N_1 \ge \binom{a}{2} + \binom{n-1-a}{2} \ge \binom{\frac{n}{2}}{2} + \binom{\frac{n-2}{2}}{2} = \frac{(n-2)^2}{4}.
Thus, the number of acute triangles is at most
(n3)n(n2)2412=n(n2)(n+2)24. \binom{n}{3} - n \cdot \frac{(n-2)^2}{4} \cdot \frac{1}{2} = \frac{n(n-2)(n+2)}{24}.
The regular polygon case does not yield equality. Indeed, we first consider a regular polygon B1B2BnB_1B_2\cdots B_n. Then we rotate half of the points, say B1,B2,,Bn2B_1, B_2, \dots, B_{\frac{n}{2}}, anticlockwise about the centre of the circle with a sufficiently small angle θ\theta to points C1,C2,,Cn2C_1, C_2, \dots, C_{\frac{n}{2}}. Then C1C2Cn2Bn2+1Bn2+2BnC_1C_2\cdots C_{\frac{n}{2}}B_{\frac{n}{2}+1}B_{\frac{n}{2}+2}\cdots B_n is one possible case which gives the upper bound n(n2)(n+2)24\frac{n(n-2)(n+2)}{24}.

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