Maths Olympiad Prep

Library / /3 of 27

Geometry Difficulty 4.5 AIME Prove it Brazil

Let ABCDABCD be a convex quadrilateral such that AD=DCAD = DC, AC=ABAC = AB and ADC=CAB\angle ADC = \angle CAB. Let MM and NN be the midpoints of ADAD and ABAB. Prove that triangle MNCMNC is isosceles.

Solution

Since AD=CDAD = CD, AB=ACAB = AC and ADC=BAC\angle ADC = \angle BAC, triangles ADCADC and BACBAC are similar by case SAS. Segments CMCM and CNCN are corresponding medians, so CMCN=CACB\frac{CM}{CN} = \frac{CA}{CB} and BCN=ACM    BCN+NCA=ACM+NCA    BCA=NCM\angle BCN = \angle ACM \iff \angle BCN + \angle NCA = \angle ACM + \angle NCA \iff \angle BCA = \angle NCM. Thus, again by case SAS, triangles CMNCMN and CABCAB are similar, and therefore CMNCMN is an isosceles triangle with CM=MNCM = MN.
Figure 1

Want a route through all this instead of an archive? The track puts 2,000 problems in a working order, from AMC 10 level to the IMO shortlist.

Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement and solution reproduced as published; topic and difficulty added by this site.