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Geometry Difficulty 8.8 Shortlist Prove it United States

In triangle ABCABC, B=2C\angle B = 2\angle C. Let PP and QQ be points on the perpendicular bisector of segment BCBC such that rays APAP and AQAQ trisect A\angle A. Prove that PQ<ABPQ < AB if and only if B\angle B is obtuse.

Solution

Let ABQ1PABQ_1P be a rhombus and let segments AQ1AQ_1 and BPBP intersect at Q2Q_2. Let XX be a point on ray Q2Q1Q_2Q_1. Because lines PQ2PQ_2 and Q1Q2Q_1Q_2 are perpendicular, PXPX increases as XX moves away from Q2Q_2. Note that AQ1AQ_1 bisects angle BAPBAP, that is, QQ is on the ray Q2Q1Q_2Q_1. Because ABC>BCA\angle ABC > \angle BCA, AA and BB are on the same side of line PQPQ. Because PQ1ABPQ_1 \parallel AB and PQBCPQ \perp BC, CBA\angle CBA is obtuse if and only if the segment PQ1PQ_1 and BB are on different sides of line PQPQ. It follows that CBA\angle CBA is obtuse if and only if Q1Q_1 is farther from Q2Q_2 on ray Q2Q1Q_2Q_1 than QQ, that is, PQ<PQ1=ABPQ < PQ_1 = AB.

Second Solution. (by Reid Barton) We may assume without loss of generality that PP is closer to AA than is QQ. Let XX be the intersection of segment ACAC and ray QPQP, and let A1A_1 be the reflection of AA across the line PQPQ. By symmetry, A1A_1 lies on the ray BXBX and AA1BCAA_1 \parallel BC.

Let BCA=x\angle BCA = x. Then A1AC=x=XBC\angle A_1AC = x = \angle XBC. Since ABC=2x\angle ABC = 2x, ABA1=x\angle ABA_1 = x. It follows that
PXA=PXB+BXA=90XBC+BXA=90+BCX=90+x. \begin{aligned} \angle PXA &= \angle PXB + \angle BXA \\ &= 90^\circ - \angle XBC + \angle BXA \\ &= 90^\circ + \angle BCX = 90^\circ + x. \end{aligned}
Since CAB=1803x\angle CAB = 180^\circ - 3x, it follows that XAP=CAP=60x\angle XAP = \angle CAP = 60^\circ - x. Hence,
APX=180PXAXAP=30. \angle APX = 180^\circ - \angle PXA - \angle XAP = 30^\circ.
Hence, APA1=2APX=60\angle APA_1 = 2\angle APX = 60^\circ. Because A1P=APA_1P = AP, this implies that triangle PAA1PAA_1 is equilateral and that AA1=APAA_1 = AP. Note also that BA1A=A1BC=ABA1\angle BA_1A = \angle A_1BC = \angle ABA_1. Hence, AB=AA1=APAB = AA_1 = AP. Therefore, PQ<ABPQ < AB if and only if PQ<APPQ < AP. In triangle APQAPQ, PQ<APPQ < AP if and only if PAQ<AQP\angle PAQ < \angle AQP, that is,
PAQ<APXPAQ=30PAQ, \angle PAQ < \angle APX - \angle PAQ = 30^\circ - \angle PAQ,
or 2PAQ<302\angle PAQ < 30^\circ. Because PAQ=60x\angle PAQ = 60^\circ - x, we conclude that PQ<ABPQ < AB if and only if
90<2x=ABC, 90^\circ < 2x = \angle ABC,
as desired.

Third Solution.
As in the first two solutions, let BCA=x\angle BCA = x and assume that CAB=3CAP\angle CAB = 3\angle CAP. Also, let PBC=y\angle PBC = y. Then CAB=1803x\angle CAB = 180^\circ - 3x, PAB=1202x\angle PAB = 120^\circ - 2x, ABP=2xy\angle ABP = 2x - y, and BPA=60+y\angle BPA = 60^\circ + y. From the Law of Sines in triangles ABCABC, ABPABP, and BCPBCP, we obtain
BCsin(1803x)=ABsinx,ABsin(60+y)=BPsin(1202x),PCsiny=BCsin(1802y). \begin{aligned} \frac{BC}{\sin(180^\circ - 3x)} &= \frac{AB}{\sin x}, \\ \frac{AB}{\sin(60^\circ + y)} &= \frac{BP}{\sin(120^\circ - 2x)}, \\ \frac{PC}{\sin y} &= \frac{BC}{\sin(180^\circ - 2y)}. \end{aligned}
Multiplying the above relations and taking into account that BP=PCBP = PC yields
sin3xsin(60+y)siny=sinxsin(60+2x)sin2y, \sin 3x \sin (60^\circ + y) \sin y = \sin x \sin (60^\circ + 2x) \sin 2y,
or
sin3xsinxsin(60+y)=sin2ysinysin(60+2x). \frac{\sin 3x}{\sin x} \sin (60^\circ + y) = \frac{\sin 2y}{\sin y} \sin (60^\circ + 2x).
By the Triple-angle formulas, sin3x=sinx(34sin2x)\sin 3x = \sin x(3 - 4\sin^2 x). By the Double-angle formulas, sin2y=siny2cosy\sin 2y = \sin y \cdot 2\cos y. It follows that
(34sin2x)sin(60+y)=2cosysin(60+2x), (3 - 4 \sin^2 x) \sin (60^\circ + y) = 2 \cos y \sin (60^\circ + 2x),
or, by the Double-angle formulas,
(1+2cos2x)sin(60+y)=2cosysin(60+2x). (1 + 2 \cos 2x) \sin (60^\circ + y) = 2 \cos y \sin (60^\circ + 2x).
Applying the Product-to-Sum formulas gives
sin(60+y)+sin(60+y+2x)+sin(60+y2x)=sin(60+2x+y)+sin(60+2xy). \begin{aligned} & \sin (60^\circ + y) + \sin (60^\circ + y + 2x) + \sin (60^\circ + y - 2x) \\ &= \sin (60^\circ + 2x + y) + \sin (60^\circ + 2x - y). \end{aligned}
We obtain
sin(60+y)=sin[60+(2xy)]sin[60(2xy)], \sin (60^\circ + y) = \sin [60^\circ + (2x - y)] - \sin [60^\circ - (2x - y)],
or, using the Difference-to-Product formulas,
sin(60+y)=2cos60sin(2xy)=sin(2xy). \sin (60^\circ + y) = 2 \cos 60^\circ \sin(2x - y) = \sin (2x - y).
Note that 60+y>060^\circ + y > 0, 2xy>02x - y > 0, and that (60+y)+(2xy)=60+2x<180(60^\circ + y) + (2x - y) = 60^\circ + 2x < 180^\circ (as 3x=180BAC<1803x = 180^\circ - \angle BAC < 180^\circ). It follows that 60+y=2xy60^\circ + y = 2x - y, i.e., BPA=ABP\angle BPA = \angle ABP.
Hence, triangle ABPABP is isosceles and AP=ABAP = AB. It follows that PQ<ABPQ < AB is equivalent to PQ<APPQ < AP. In triangle APQAPQ, this is equivalent to
60x=PAQ<AQP=x30, 60^\circ - x = \angle PAQ < \angle AQP = x - 30^\circ,
that is, B=2x>90\angle B = 2x > 90^\circ. It follows that PQ>ABPQ > AB if and only if B\angle B is obtuse.

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