The medians , , of the triangle meet the nine points circle at , , , respectively. The points , , are the feet of the altitudes of ( belongs to , etc). The tangents to the nine points circle at , , meet the lines , and at points , , . Show that points , and are collinear.
Solution
1) Triangles and are similar (indeed, is half inscribed, is inscribed and both subtend the same arch in the Euler circle; moreover is the same in both triangles). Therefore
Points , and belong to a circle of center and radius . (Indeed, in the triangle we have ; ; and by the cosine law
In the triangle we repeat the argument and we have ).
Then, being , the angle has an angle bisector , and so, if we call , results
But is antiparallel of with respect to and , and so
Combining these results, we have ; in a similar way we get
therefore
By the converse of the Menelaus theorem, the points , and are collinear.
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