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Geometry Difficulty 7.8 National Olympiad, round 2 Prove it Benelux Mathematical Olympiad

Problem:

In triangle ABCA B C the midpoint of BCB C is called MM. Let PP be a variable interior point of the triangle such that CPM=PAB\angle C P M = \angle P A B. Let Γ\Gamma be the circumcircle of triangle ABPA B P. The line MPM P intersects Γ\Gamma a second time in QQ. Define RR as the reflection of PP in the tangent to Γ\Gamma in BB. Prove that the length QR|Q R| is independent of the position of PP inside the triangle.

Solution

Solution:

We claim QR=BC|Q R| = |B C|, which will clearly imply that quantity QR|Q R| is independent from the position of PP inside triangle ABC\triangle A B C (and independent from the position of AA).
This equality will follow from the equality between triangles BPC\triangle B P C and RBQ\triangle R B Q. This in turn will be shown by means of three equalities (two sides and an angle): BP=RB|B P| = |R B|, PC=BQ|P C| = |B Q| and BPC=RBQ\angle B P C = \angle R B Q.

Figure 1

a. BP=RB|B P| = |R B|
Obvious since RR is the reflection of PP in a line going through BB.

b. PC=BQ|P C| = |B Q|
Let UU be the fourth vertex of parallelogram BPCUB P C U. Then UU is on line PQP Q and BUP=UPC=α\angle B U P = \angle U P C = \alpha. If QQ is on the same arcPB\operatorname{arc} P B as AA, then BQP=α\angle B Q P = \alpha, and QPU\triangle Q P U is isosceles; hence, BQ=BU=PC|B Q| = |B U| = |P C|. On the other way, if QQ is on the other arcPB\operatorname{arc} P B, then BQP\angle B Q P and α\alpha are supplementary, hence BQU=αB Q U = \alpha, and again QPU\triangle Q P U is isosceles; the same conclusion follows.

c. BPC=RBQ\angle B P C = \angle R B Q
Define TT to be the midpoint of PRP R. Then line BTB T, tangent to circle Γ\Gamma in BB, splits RBQ\angle R B Q into two parts, RBT\angle R B T and TBQ\angle T B Q.
We first show that RBT=α\angle R B T = \alpha. Indeed, by symmetry, RBT=PBT\angle R B T = \angle P B T and, since BTB T is tangent to Γ\Gamma, we have that PBT=PAB\angle P B T = \angle P A B (because they both intercept the same arcPB^\operatorname{arc} \widehat{P B} on circle Γ\Gamma), from which our claim follows.
We then show that TBQ=BPM\angle T B Q = \angle B P M. Indeed, since TBQ\angle T B Q and BPQ\angle B P Q intercept opposite arcs on circle Γ\Gamma, they are supplementary and we have TBQ=πBPQ=BPM\angle T B Q = \pi - \angle B P Q = \angle B P M. We finally conclude that
RBQ=RBT+TBQ=α+BPM=MPC+BPM=BPC \angle R B Q = \angle R B T + \angle T B Q = \alpha + \angle B P M = \angle M P C + \angle B P M = \angle B P C
We have thus shown BPC=RBQ\triangle B P C = \triangle R B Q, which completes the proof.

Alternative 1 for (b). The law of sines in triangle BQM\triangle B Q M gives
BMsinBQM=BQsinBMQ. \frac{|B M|}{\sin \angle B Q M} = \frac{|B Q|}{\sin \angle B M Q}.
Since QQ belongs to circle Γ\Gamma, we have either BQP=BAP=α\angle B Q P = \angle B A P = \alpha, hence BQM=MPC\angle B Q M = \angle M P C, or these angles are supplementary; in both cases they have equal sines. We also have that BMQ\angle B M Q and CMP\angle C M P are supplementary, hence have equal sines. Using these facts along with BM=MC|B M| = |M C| transforms (2) into
MCsinMPC=BQsinCMP \frac{|M C|}{\sin \angle M P C} = \frac{|B Q|}{\sin \angle C M P}
from which the law of sines in triangle CPM\triangle C P M implies that BQ=PC|B Q| = |P C|.

Alternative 2 for (b). Let SS be the second intersection of line CPC P with circle Γ\Gamma. Then, BSP=α\angle B S P = \alpha, so BSB S and MPM P are parallel; since MM is the midpoint of segment BCB C, PP is the midpoint of SCS C. If QQ is on the same arcPB\operatorname{arc} P B as AA, then the quadrilateral QPBSQ P B S is an isosceles trapezoid, and QB=SP=PC|Q B| = |S P| = |P C|. If QQ is on the other arc PBP B, then the quadrilateral PQBSP Q B S is an isosceles trapezoid, and again QB=SP=PC|Q B| = |S P| = |P C|.

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