Maths Olympiad Prep

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Geometry Difficulty 5.1 AIME, harder Prove it United States

Problem:
Let ABCABC be a non-isosceles, non-right triangle, let ω\omega be its circumcircle, and let OO be its circumcenter. Let MM be the midpoint of segment BCBC. Let the circumcircle of triangle AOMAOM intersect ω\omega again at DD. If HH is the orthocenter of triangle ABCABC, prove that DAH=MAO\angle DAH = \angle MAO.

Solutions — 2

Solution 1

Solution:
Figure 1
Let XX be the intersection of the line tangent to ω\omega at BB with the line tangent to ω\omega at CC. Note that OMCOCX\triangle OMC \sim \triangle OCX since OMC=OCX=π2\angle OMC = \angle OCX = \frac{\pi}{2}. Hence OMOC=OCOX\frac{OM}{OC} = \frac{OC}{OX}, or, equivalently, OMOA=OAOX\frac{OM}{OA} = \frac{OA}{OX}. By SAS similarity, it follows that OAMOXA\triangle OAM \sim \triangle OXA. Therefore, OAM=OXA\angle OAM = \angle OXA.

We claim now that OAD=OAX\angle OAD = \angle OAX. By the similarity OAMOXA\triangle OAM \sim OXA, we have that OAX=OMA\angle OAX = \angle OMA. Since AOMDAOMD is a cyclic quadrilateral, we have that OMA=ODA\angle OMA = \angle ODA. Since OA=ODOA = OD, we have that ODA=OAD\angle ODA = \angle OAD. Combining these equations tells us that OAX=OAD\angle OAX = \angle OAD, so AA, DD, and XX are collinear.

Finally, since both AHAH and OXOX are perpendicular to BCBC, it follows that AHOXAH \parallel OX, so DAH=DXO=AXO=MAO\angle DAH = \angle DXO = \angle AXO = \angle MAO, as desired.

Solution 2

Solution:
Let YY be the intersection of BCBC with the line tangent to ω\omega at AA. Then the circumcircle of triangle AOMAOM has diameter OYOY, so ADAD is perpendicular to OYOY because the radical axis of two circles is perpendicular to the line between their centers. Since YY is on the polar of AA, it follows that AA is on the polar of YY, so ADOXAD \perp OX implies that ADAD is the polar of YY, i.e. ADAD is the symmedian from AA in triangle ABCABC. Hence ADAD and AMAM are isogonal. Since AHAH and AOAO are also isogonal, the desired conclusion follows immediately.

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