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Geometry Difficulty 7.5 National olympiad, round 2 Prove it North Macedonia

An acute-angled triangle ABCABC is given. The points A1A_1, A2A_2, B1B_1, B2B_2, C1C_1 and C2C_2 lie on its sides in such a way that AA1=A1A2=A2B=13AB\overline{AA_1} = \overline{A_1A_2} = \overline{A_2B} = \frac{1}{3}\overline{AB}, BB1=B1B2=B2C=13BC\overline{BB_1} = \overline{B_1B_2} = \overline{B_2C} = \frac{1}{3}\overline{BC} and CC1=C1C2=C2A=13CA\overline{CC_1} = \overline{C_1C_2} = \overline{C_2A} = \frac{1}{3}\overline{CA}. Let kAk_A, kBk_B and kCk_C be the circumscribed circles of the triangles AA1C2AA_1C_2, BB1A2BB_1A_2 and CC1B2CC_1B_2 respectively, aBa_B and aCa_C be the tangents of kAk_A in A1A_1 and C2C_2, bCb_C and bAb_A be the tangents of kBk_B in B1B_1 and A2A_2 and cAc_A and cBc_B be the tangents of kCk_C in C1C_1 and B2B_2. Prove that the perpendiculars drawn from the intersection of aBa_B and bAb_A to ABAB, the intersection of bCb_C and cBc_B to BCBC and the intersection of cAc_A and aCa_C to CACA intersect in one point.

Figure 1

Solution

Let us denote the intersections of aBa_B, bCb_C and cAc_A with bAb_A, cBc_B and aCa_C respectively by AA', BB' and CC'. The triangle AA1C2AA_1C_2 is similar to ABCABC, since they have a common angle and their sides are at a ratio 1:31:3. Let OAO_A be the center of the circumscribed circle around the triangle AA1C2AA_1C_2. Then:
OAA1A=12(180AOAA1)=90AC2A1=90γ \angle O_A A_1 A = \frac{1}{2}(180^\circ - \angle A O_A A_1) = 90^\circ - \angle AC_2 A_1 = 90^\circ - \gamma
Since aBa_B is perpendicular to OAA1O_AA_1 it follows that the angle between aBa_B and ABAB equals
18090(90γ)=γ 180^\circ - 90^\circ - (90^\circ - \gamma) = \gamma
Analogously, the angle between bAb_A and ABAB equals γ\gamma, so that the triangle A1A2AA_1A_2A' is isosceles with base A1A2A_1A_2, that is, the perpendicular to ABAB through CC' passes through the midpoint of A1A2A_1A_2, which is also the midpoint of ABAB. Thus, the perpendicular passes through the center of the circumscribed circle around the triangle ABCABC. From symmetry reasons, all the three perpendiculars pass through the center of the circumscribed circle, that is, they pass through a common point.

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