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Library / Belarus — Selection and Training Session /35 of 78

Belarus — Selection and Training Session

Geometry Difficulty 5.5 AIME, harder Prove it Belarus

Let II be the incenter of a triangle ABCABC. The circle passing through II and centered at AA meets the circumference of the triangle ABCABC at points MM and NN.
Prove that the line MNMN touches the incircle of the triangle ABCABC.

Solution

Let ∠BAC=2α\angle BAC = 2\alpha, ∠ABC=2β\angle ABC = 2\beta, ∠BCA=2γ\angle BCA = 2\gamma. Since AM=ANAM = AN, we obtain ∠AMN=∠ANM\angle AMN = \angle ANM. We have ∠AMN=∠ACN\angle AMN = \angle ACN and ∠MNC=∠MAC\angle MNC = \angle MAC (as inscribed angles). Further,
∠AKN=∠MAK+∠AMK==∠MAC+∠AMN==∠MNC+∠ANM=∠ANC. \begin{aligned} \angle AKN &= \angle MAK + \angle AMK = \\ &= \angle MAC + \angle AMN = \\ &= \angle MNC + \angle ANM = \angle ANC. \end{aligned}
It follows that the triangles AKNAKN and ANCANC are similar. Similarly, the triangles ALMALM and AMBAMB are similar. Then ANAC=AKAN\frac{AN}{AC} = \frac{AK}{AN}, so AI2=AN2=AK⋅ACAI^2 = AN^2 = AK \cdot AC.
In the same manner we see that AI2=AL⋅ABAI^2 = AL \cdot AB, so AK⋅AC=AL⋅ABAK \cdot AC = AL \cdot AB, which shows that LL, KK, CC, BB are concyclic. Then ∠AKL=∠ABC=2β\angle AKL = \angle ABC = 2\beta. Moreover, since AI:AK=AC:AIAI : AK = AC : AI, it follows that the triangles AIKAIK and ACIACI are similar. Then ∠AIK=∠ICA=0.5∠BCA=γ\angle AIK = \angle ICA = 0.5\angle BCA = \gamma. Since ∠IKC=∠IAK+∠AIK=α+γ\angle IKC = \angle IAK + \angle AIK = \alpha + \gamma, we have
∠IKL=180∘−∠AKL−∠IKC=180∘−2β−α−γ==180∘−2(α+β+γ)+α+γ=[α+β+γ=90∘]=α+γ=∠IKC. \begin{aligned} \angle IKL &= 180^\circ - \angle AKL - \angle IKC = 180^\circ - 2\beta - \alpha - \gamma = \\ &= 180^\circ - 2(\alpha + \beta + \gamma) + \alpha + \gamma = [\alpha + \beta + \gamma = 90^\circ] = \alpha + \gamma = \angle IKC. \end{aligned}
Similarly, ∠KLI=∠ILB\angle KLI = \angle ILB. Therefore, all bisectors of the quadrilateral LBCKLBCK intersect at the same point II. Hence LBCKLBCK is a circumscribed quadrilateral. Thus MNMN touches the inscribed circle of the triangle ABCABC.

Figure 1

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Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement reproduced verbatim; metadata (topic, difficulty) added by this project.