Maths Olympiad Prep

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Geometry Difficulty 5.9 AIME, harder Prove it Romania

The triangle ABCABC has BAC=90\angle BAC = 90^\circ and ACB=54\angle ACB = 54^\circ. Take the bisector BDBD (DACD \in AC) of the angle ABCABC and the point EE on the segment BDBD so that DE=DCDE = DC. Prove that BE=2ADBE = 2 \cdot AD.

Solution

A straightforward angle chasing gives ABC=9054=36\angle ABC = 90^\circ - 54^\circ = 36^\circ, then ABD=CBD=12ABC=18\angle ABD = \angle CBD = \frac{1}{2} \angle ABC = 18^\circ. So BDA=90ABD=72\angle BDA = 90^\circ - \angle ABD = 72^\circ, BDC=180BDA=108\angle BDC = 180^\circ - \angle BDA = 108^\circ.

The isosceles triangle CDECDE gives DCE=DEC=12(180CDE)=36\angle DCE = \angle DEC = \frac{1}{2}(180^\circ - \angle CDE) = 36^\circ, whence BCE=BCDECD=18=CBE\angle BCE = \angle BCD - \angle ECD = 18^\circ = \angle CBE, hence the triangle BCEBCE is isosceles.

Denote FF the reflection of DD into AA. Then the points DD, AA, FF are collinear and ABF=ABD=18\angle ABF = \angle ABD = 18^\circ (because BAFBAD\triangle BAF \equiv \triangle BAD – case S.A.S.), so FBC=54=FCB\angle FBC = 54^\circ = \angle FCB, hence the triangle BFCBFC is isosceles, with FB=FCFB = FC.

This gives FEBFEC\triangle FEB \equiv \triangle FEC (S.S.S.), leading to EFB=EFC=12CFB=36\angle EFB = \angle EFC = \frac{1}{2} \angle CFB = 36^\circ. So triangle EFCEFC is isosceles, whence EF=EC=EBEF = EC = EB (*). Also, FED=180FDEFED=1807236=72=FDE\angle FED = 180^\circ - \angle FDE - \angle FED = 180^\circ - 72^\circ - 36^\circ = 72^\circ = \angle FDE, showing that FE=FD=2ADFE = FD = 2 \cdot AD. Now (*) yields EB=2ADEB = 2 \cdot AD.

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Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement reproduced verbatim; metadata (topic, difficulty) added by this project.