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Geometry Difficulty 8.9 Shortlist Prove it China

We call a point sequence (A0,A1,,An)(A_0, A_1, \dots, A_n) interesting, if the abscissa and ordinate are equal for each AiA_i, and the slopes of segment OA0,OA1,,OAnOA_0, OA_1, \dots, OA_n strictly increase (OO is the origin), and the area of each OAiAi+1\triangle OA_iA_{i+1} (0in10 \le i \le n-1) is 12\frac{1}{2}.

For a point sequence (A0,A1,,An)(A_0, A_1, \dots, A_n), insert a point AA adjacent to two points Ai,Ai+1A_i, A_{i+1} satisfying OA=OAi+OAi+1\overrightarrow{OA} = \overrightarrow{OA_i} + \overrightarrow{OA_{i+1}}, then we call thus obtained new point sequence (A0,,Ai,A,Ai+1,,An)(A_0, \dots, A_i, A, A_{i+1}, \dots, A_n) an expansion of (A0,A1,,An)(A_0, A_1, \dots, A_n).

Let (A0,A1,,An)(A_0, A_1, \dots, A_n) and (B0,B1,,Bm)(B_0, B_1, \dots, B_m) be any two interesting point sequences. Prove that if A0=B0A_0 = B_0 and An=BmA_n = B_m, then we can expand both point sequences to some same point sequence (C0,C1,,Ck)(C_0, C_1, \dots, C_k).

(posed by Qu Zhenhua)

Solution

We see that by the condition of the problem, an expansion of an interesting sequence is still interesting.

First, we construct the interesting sequence (C0,C1,,Ck)(C_0, C_1, \dots, C_k) containing all points of sequences (A0,A1,,An)(A_0, A_1, \dots, A_n) and (B0,B1,,Bm)(B_0, B_1, \dots, B_m), and C0=A0=B0C_0 = A_0 = B_0, Ck=An=BmC_k = A_n = B_m.

By the Pick Theorem, we know that the area of triangle equals 1/21/2 if and only if there is no grid point on the triangle except triangle vertices. Hence there is no grid point on OAiAi+1\triangle OA_iA_{i+1} except its vertices. Therefore, if the slopes of OAiOA_i and OBjOB_j are equal, then Ai=BjA_i = B_j.

Denote the slopes of segments from points of {Ai}\{A_i\} and {Bj}\{B_j\} to the origin in strictly increasing order by D0,D1,,DlD_0, D_1, \dots, D_l, where D0=C0=A0=B0D_0 = C_0 = A_0 = B_0 and Dl=Ck=An=BmD_l = C_k = A_n = B_m. If a sequence (Di,Di+1D_i, D_{i+1}) is not interesting, then we can insert several points E1,,EsE_1, \dots, E_s such that the sequence (Di,E1,,Es,Di+1D_i, E_1, \dots, E_s, D_{i+1}) is interesting. In fact, consider the convex hull PP of the grid points on ODiDi+1\triangle OD_iD_{i+1}, except the origin. PP is a convex polygon or segment DiDi+1D_iD_{i+1} (a degenerated polygon). Then the sequence of vertices of PP is interesting. Thus, we have constructed the interesting sequence (C0,C1,,Ck)(C_0, C_1, \dots, C_k).

Figure 1

Finally, it suffices to show that the interesting sequence (A0,A1,,An)(A_0, A_1, \dots, A_n) can be expanded to (C0,C1,,Ck)(C_0, C_1, \dots, C_k), and the same is true for (B0,B1,,Bm)(B_0, B_1, \dots, B_m). We only need to prove this for the case of n=1n=1, since we can apply the conclusion for n=1n=1 to (Ai,Ai+1)(A_i, A_{i+1}), i=0,1,,n1i=0, 1, \dots, n-1 successively. Let C0=A0C_0 = A_0 and Ck=A1C_k = A_1. By induction on kk, for k=1k=1, we need no expansion. Suppose that the conclusion is true for all positive integers less than kk.

Then denote the grid point AA satisfying OA=OA0+OA1\overrightarrow{OA} = \overrightarrow{OA_0} + \overrightarrow{OA_1}, and we see that AA must be a point of C1,,Ck1C_1, \dots, C_{k-1}. Since if not, there is no grid point on interior of segment OAOA, and there exists i,0i<ki, 0 \le i < k, such that AA locates in the angle made by rays OCiOC_i and OCi+1OC_{i+1}. We may suppose that i>0i > 0, otherwise take the graph symmetric over the line x=yx = y. Since the area of the parallelogram OA0AA1\square OA_0AA_1 is 11, CiC_i locates outside of OA0AA1\square OA_0AA_1, Ci+1C_{i+1} locates outside of OA0AA1\square OA_0AA_1 or Ci+1=A1C_{i+1} = A_1. In any way, we take BB such that OB=OCi+OCi+1\vec{OB} = \vec{OC}_i + \vec{OC}_{i+1} and take BB' such that Ci+1BOA0C_{i+1}B' \parallel OA_0, CiBA0AC_iB' \parallel A_0A, then AA locates on OCi+1BCi\square OC_{i+1}B'C_i. Thus, AA locates inside of OCiBCi+1\square OC_iBC_{i+1}, which contradicts the fact that the area of OCiBCi+1\square OC_iBC_{i+1} is 11. Therefore the inserted point AA to (A0,A1)(A_0, A_1) for expansion is some CiC_i. Then we use the induction hypotheses to (A0,A)(A_0, A) and (A,A1)(A, A_1), respectively. \square

Figure 2

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