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Geometry Difficulty 6.4 National olympiad Prove it Japan

Let ABC\triangle ABC be an acute triangle with circumcenter OO. Let O1O_1 and O2O_2 be the circumcenters of triangles ABOABO and ACOACO, respectively. Suppose that the circumcircle of triangle AO1O2AO_1O_2 intersects line segment BCBC at two distinct points PP and QQ (excluding the endpoints), with the four points B,P,Q,CB, P, Q, C appearing in this order along the segment. Let O3O_3 be the circumcenter of triangle OPQOPQ. Prove that the three points A,O,A, O, and O3O_3 lie on a straight line.

Solution

Let QQ' be the intersection of the perpendicular bisector of ABAB with line BCBC. Then, we have
AQO1=BQO1=90ABC. \angle AQ'O_1 = \angle BQ'O_1 = 90^\circ - \angle ABC.
Moreover, since O1O_1 and O2O_2 lie on the perpendicular bisector of segment AOAO and O2O_2 is the circumcenter of triangle ACOACO, we have
AO2O1=12AO2O=ACO=12(180AOC)=90ABC. \angle AO_2O_1 = \frac{1}{2}\angle AO_2O = \angle ACO = \frac{1}{2}(180^\circ - \angle AOC) = 90^\circ - \angle ABC.
Hence, the four points A,O1,O2,QA, O_1, O_2, Q' are concyclic. Similarly, let PP' be the intersection of the perpendicular bisector of ACAC with BCBC. Then, A,O1,O2,PA, O_1, O_2, P' are concyclic. Since triangle ABCABC

is acute, OO does not lie on line BCBC and PP' and QQ' are distinct. Hence \{P,QP, Q\} = \{P,QP', Q'\}, and O3O_3 is the circumcenter of triangle OPQOP'Q'. Now O1O_1, OO and QQ' are collinear and O2O_2, OO and PP' are collinear. Let DD be the intersection of O1O2O_1O_2 and OO3OO_3. Then, we have
O2DO3=O2OO3DO2O=(180POO3)O1O2P=18012(180OO3P)O1O2P=180(90OQP)O1QP=90, \begin{align*} \angle O_2 DO_3 &= \angle O_2 OO_3 - \angle DO_2 O \\ &= (180^\circ - \angle P' OO_3) - \angle O_1 O_2 P' \\ &= 180^\circ - \frac{1}{2}(180^\circ - \angle OO_3 P') - \angle O_1 O_2 P' \\ &= 180^\circ - (90^\circ - \angle OQ' P') - \angle O_1 Q' P' \\ &= 90^\circ, \end{align*}
so lines O1O2O_1O_2 and OO3OO_3 meet at right angles. On the other hand, O1O2O_1O_2 is the perpendicular bisector of AOAO, so both AA and O3O_3 lie on the perpendicular to line O1O2O_1O_2 through OO. Therefore AA, OO, O3O_3 are collinear, as claimed.

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