Maths Olympiad Prep

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Geometry Difficulty 5.5 AIME, harder Prove it Taiwan

給定一圓 Γ\Gamma 以及 Γ\Gamma 上的三個定點 A,B,CA, B, C, 同時給定一實數 λ\lambda, 0<λ<10 < \lambda < 1. 設 PPΓ\Gamma 上不等於 A,B,CA, B, C 的一個動點, 並讓 MMCPCP 線段上滿足 CM=λCPCM = \lambda \cdot CP 的點。令 QQ 為三角形 AMPAMP 與三角形 BMCBMC 的兩外接圓的第二個交點。證明: 當 PP 變動時, QQ 會落在一定圓上。

Solution

In the proof, we will use (a,b)\angle(a, b) to denote the directed angle between line aa and line bb. Let DD be the point on segment ABAB satisfying BD=λBABD = \lambda \cdot BA. We will show: either Q=DQ = D, or else (DQ,QB)=(AB,BC)\angle(DQ, QB) = \angle(AB, BC); both cases guarantee that the point QQ moves on a certain circle passing through the point DD and tangent to line BCBC at the point BB. This is exactly the statement we wish to prove.

Denote the circumcircles of triangle AMPAMP and triangle BMCBMC by ωA,ωB\omega_A, \omega_B respectively. The three lines APAP, BCBC, MQMQ are pairwise the common radical axes of the three circles Γ,ωA,ωB\Gamma, \omega_A, \omega_B, so these three lines are pairwise parallel, or else they are concurrent at a point XX.

First suppose these three lines are mutually parallel, as in Figure 1. Then the three segments APAP, QMQM, BCBC have a common perpendicular bisector; reflecting through this perpendicular bisector maps segment CPCP to segment BABA, and sends MM to QQ. Therefore QQ lies on segment ABAB, and BQ/AB=CM/CP=BD/ABBQ/AB = CM/CP = BD/AB; hence Q=DQ = D.

Next suppose the three lines APAP, QMQM, BCBC are concurrent at XX, as in Figure 2. Applying Miquel's theorem in triangle XPCXPC, we obtain that the four points A,B,Q,XA, B, Q, X all lie on the same circle Γ\Gamma. Let YY be the reflection of XX over the perpendicular bisector of ABAB. It is easy to see that YY also lies on Γ\Gamma, and that YAB\triangle YAB and XBA\triangle XBA are congruent. Since XPC\triangle XPC is similar to XBA\triangle XBA, it is also similar to YAB\triangle YAB.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Since BD/BA=CM/CP=λBD/BA = CM/CP = \lambda, we know that DD and MM correspond to each other in the similar triangles YABYAB, XPCXPC respectively. Moreover, since YAB\triangle YAB and XPC\triangle XPC have the same orientation, we have (MX,XP)=(DY,YA)\angle (MX, XP) = \angle (DY, YA). On the other hand, since A,Q,X,YA, Q, X, Y all lie on Γ\Gamma, we obtain (QY,YA)=(MX,XP)\angle (QY, YA) = \angle (MX, XP). Therefore (QY,YA)=(DY,YA)\angle (QY, YA) = \angle (DY, YA), that is, the three points Y,D,QY, D, Q are collinear.

Finally, we have (DQ,QB)=(YQ,QB)=(YA,AB)=(AB,BX)=(AB,BC)\angle (DQ, QB) = \angle (YQ, QB) = \angle (YA, AB) = \angle (AB, BX) = \angle (AB, BC), which is exactly what we wanted. Q.E.D.

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Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement translated into English from zh; metadata (topic, difficulty) added by this project.