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Czech-Slovak-Polish Match

Geometry Difficulty 5.5 AIME, harder Prove it Czech-Polish-Slovak Mathematical Match

Given is a regular pentagon ABCDEABCDE. Determine the least value of the expression
PA+PBPC+PD+PE \frac{PA + PB}{PC + PD + PE}
where PP is an arbitrary point lying in the plane of the pentagon ABCDEABCDE.

Solution

Without loss of generality assume that the given pentagon ABCDEABCDE has the side equal to 11. Then the length of its diagonal is equal to
λ=1+52. \lambda = \frac{1 + \sqrt{5}}{2}.
Set a=PAa = PA, b=PBb = PB, c=PCc = PC, d=PDd = PD, e=PEe = PE (Fig. 2).

Figure 1

Fig. 2

Applying the Ptolemy inequality for the (not necessarily convex) quadrilaterals APDEAPDE, BPDCBPDC and PCDEPCDE we obtain (respectively)
a+d⩾eλ,b+d⩾cλ,e+c⩾dλ. a + d \geqslant e\lambda, \quad b + d \geqslant c\lambda, \quad e + c \geqslant d\lambda.
We multiply the third inequality by λ+2λ+1\frac{\lambda+2}{\lambda+1} and add together with the first and the second inequalities. As a result we obtain
a+b+2d+e⋅λ+2λ+1+c⋅λ+2λ+1≥eλ+cλ+d⋅λ(λ+2)λ+1. a+b+2d+e \cdot \frac{\lambda+2}{\lambda+1} + c \cdot \frac{\lambda+2}{\lambda+1} \geq e\lambda + c\lambda + d \cdot \frac{\lambda(\lambda+2)}{\lambda+1}.
Grouping the respective terms, the above inequality reduces to
a+b≥λ2−2λ+1(c+d+e). a+b \geq \frac{\lambda^2-2}{\lambda+1}(c+d+e).
Therefore
a+bc+d+e≥λ2−2λ+1=5−2. \frac{a+b}{c+d+e} \geq \frac{\lambda^2-2}{\lambda+1} = \sqrt{5}-2.
The equality holds if and only if the convex quadrilaterals APDEAPDE, BPDCBPDC and PCDEPCDE are cyclic. This condition is satisfied if and only if the point PP lies on the minor arc ABAB of the circumcircle of the pentagon ABCDEABCDE (Fig. 3). Therefore the smallest possible value of the given expression is 5−2\sqrt{5}-2.

Figure 2

Fig. 3

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