Maths Olympiad Prep

Library / IMO Shortlist /203 of 365

IMO Shortlist

Geometry Difficulty 8.7 Shortlist Prove it IMO

Let Ω\Omega and OO be the circumcircle and the circumcentre of an acute-angled triangle ABCA B C with AB>BCA B > B C. The angle bisector of ∠ABC\angle A B C intersects Ω\Omega at M≠BM \neq B. Let Γ\Gamma be the circle with diameter BMB M. The angle bisectors of ∠AOB\angle A O B and ∠BOC\angle B O C intersect Γ\Gamma at points PP and QQ, respectively. The point RR is chosen on the line PQP Q so that BR=MRB R = M R. Prove that BR∥ACB R \parallel A C. (Here we always assume that an angle bisector is a ray.)
(Russia)

Figure 1

Solution

Let KK be the midpoint of BMB M, i.e., the centre of Γ\Gamma. Notice that AB≠BCA B \neq B C implies K≠OK \neq O. Clearly, the lines OMO M and OKO K are the perpendicular bisectors of ACA C and BMB M, respectively. Therefore, RR is the intersection point of PQP Q and OKO K.
Let NN be the second point of intersection of Γ\Gamma with the line OMO M. Since BMB M is a diameter of Γ\Gamma, the lines BNB N and ACA C are both perpendicular to OMO M. Hence BN∥ACB N \parallel A C, and it suffices to prove that BNB N passes through RR. Our plan for doing this is to interpret the lines BN,OKB N, O K, and PQP Q as the radical axes of three appropriate circles.
Let ω\omega be the circle with diameter BOB O. Since ∠BNO=∠BKO=90∘\angle B N O = \angle B K O = 90^\circ, the points NN and KK lie on ω\omega.
Next we show that the points O,K,PO, K, P, and QQ are concyclic. To this end, let DD and EE be the midpoints of BCB C and ABA B, respectively. Clearly, DD and EE lie on the rays OQO Q and OPO P, respectively. By our assumptions about the triangle ABCA B C, the points B,E,O,KB, E, O, K, and DD lie in this order on ω\omega. It follows that ∠EOR=∠EBK=∠KBD=∠KOD\angle E O R = \angle E B K = \angle K B D = \angle K O D, so the line KOK O externally bisects the angle POQP O Q. Since the point KK is the centre of Γ\Gamma, it also lies on the perpendicular bisector of PQP Q. So KK coincides with the midpoint of the arc⁡POQ\operatorname{arc} P O Q of the circumcircle γ\gamma of triangle POQP O Q.
Thus the lines OK,BNO K, B N, and PQP Q are pairwise radical axes of the circles ω,γ\omega, \gamma, and Γ\Gamma. Hence they are concurrent at RR, as required.

Want a route through all this instead of an archive? The track puts 2,604 problems in a working order, from Junior Challenge level to the IMO shortlist.

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