Maths Olympiad Prep

Library / /4 of 5

Geometry Difficulty 8.2 Shortlist Prove it Romania

Prove that, if a,b,ca, b, c are the complex coordinates of the vertices of a triangle and a+2b3c=a4b+3c|a + 2b - 3c| = |a - 4b + 3c|, then the triangle is right.

Solution

Let aa, bb, cc be the complex coordinates of the vertices of the triangle. The given condition is:
a+2b3c=a4b+3c |a + 2b - 3c| = |a - 4b + 3c|
Let z1=a+2b3cz_1 = a + 2b - 3c and z2=a4b+3cz_2 = a - 4b + 3c. Then z1=z2|z_1| = |z_2|.

Consider the difference:
z12=z22 |z_1|^2 = |z_2|^2
Expanding both sides:
(a+2b3c)(a+2b3c)=(a4b+3c)(a4b+3c) (a + 2b - 3c)(\overline{a} + 2\overline{b} - 3\overline{c}) = (a - 4b + 3c)(\overline{a} - 4\overline{b} + 3\overline{c})
Let us subtract one side from the other:
(a+2b3c)(a+2b3c)(a4b+3c)(a4b+3c)=0 (a + 2b - 3c)(\overline{a} + 2\overline{b} - 3\overline{c}) - (a - 4b + 3c)(\overline{a} - 4\overline{b} + 3\overline{c}) = 0
Let us denote aa, bb, cc as AA, BB, CC for clarity. Let us expand both products:

First term:
(a+2b3c)(a+2b3c)=aa+2ab3ac+2ba+4bb6bc3ca6cb+9cc (a + 2b - 3c)(\overline{a} + 2\overline{b} - 3\overline{c}) = a\overline{a} + 2a\overline{b} - 3a\overline{c} + 2b\overline{a} + 4b\overline{b} - 6b\overline{c} - 3c\overline{a} - 6c\overline{b} + 9c\overline{c}
Second term:
(a4b+3c)(a4b+3c)=aa4ab+3ac4ba+16bb12bc+3ca12cb+9cc (a - 4b + 3c)(\overline{a} - 4\overline{b} + 3\overline{c}) = a\overline{a} - 4a\overline{b} + 3a\overline{c} - 4b\overline{a} + 16b\overline{b} - 12b\overline{c} + 3c\overline{a} - 12c\overline{b} + 9c\overline{c}
Subtracting:
[aa+2ab3ac+2ba+4bb6bc3ca6cb+9cc][aa4ab+3ac4ba+16bb12bc+3ca12cb+9cc]=0 [a\overline{a} + 2a\overline{b} - 3a\overline{c} + 2b\overline{a} + 4b\overline{b} - 6b\overline{c} - 3c\overline{a} - 6c\overline{b} + 9c\overline{c}] \\ - [a\overline{a} - 4a\overline{b} + 3a\overline{c} - 4b\overline{a} + 16b\overline{b} - 12b\overline{c} + 3c\overline{a} - 12c\overline{b} + 9c\overline{c}] = 0
Now, combine like terms:
- aaa\overline{a} cancels.
- 9cc9cc9c\overline{c} - 9c\overline{c} cancels.

aba\overline{b}: 2ab(4ab)=6ab2a\overline{b} - (-4a\overline{b}) = 6a\overline{b}
aca\overline{c}: 3ac3ac=6ac-3a\overline{c} - 3a\overline{c} = -6a\overline{c}
bab\overline{a}: 2ba(4ba)=6ba2b\overline{a} - (-4b\overline{a}) = 6b\overline{a}
bbb\overline{b}: 4bb16bb=12bb4b\overline{b} - 16b\overline{b} = -12b\overline{b}
bcb\overline{c}: 6bc(12bc)=6bc-6b\overline{c} - (-12b\overline{c}) = 6b\overline{c}
cac\overline{a}: 3ca3ca=6ca-3c\overline{a} - 3c\overline{a} = -6c\overline{a}
cbc\overline{b}: 6cb(12cb)=6cb-6c\overline{b} - (-12c\overline{b}) = 6c\overline{b}

So the sum is:
6ab6ac+6ba12bb+6bc6ca+6cb=0 6a\overline{b} - 6a\overline{c} + 6b\overline{a} - 12b\overline{b} + 6b\overline{c} - 6c\overline{a} + 6c\overline{b} = 0
Group terms:
6(ab+ba)6(ac+ca)+6(bc+cb)12bb=0 6(a\overline{b} + b\overline{a}) - 6(a\overline{c} + c\overline{a}) + 6(b\overline{c} + c\overline{b}) - 12b\overline{b} = 0
Divide both sides by 66:
(ab+ba)(ac+ca)+(bc+cb)2bb=0 (a\overline{b} + b\overline{a}) - (a\overline{c} + c\overline{a}) + (b\overline{c} + c\overline{b}) - 2b\overline{b} = 0
Now, recall that ab+ba=2Re(ab)a\overline{b} + b\overline{a} = 2\operatorname{Re}(a\overline{b}), etc.
So:
2Re(ab)2Re(ac)+2Re(bc)2b2=0 2\operatorname{Re}(a\overline{b}) - 2\operatorname{Re}(a\overline{c}) + 2\operatorname{Re}(b\overline{c}) - 2|b|^2 = 0
Divide by 22:
Re(ab)Re(ac)+Re(bc)b2=0 \operatorname{Re}(a\overline{b}) - \operatorname{Re}(a\overline{c}) + \operatorname{Re}(b\overline{c}) - |b|^2 = 0
Rearrange:
Re(ab)Re(ac)+Re(bc)=b2 \operatorname{Re}(a\overline{b}) - \operatorname{Re}(a\overline{c}) + \operatorname{Re}(b\overline{c}) = |b|^2
But b2=bb|b|^2 = b\overline{b}, and Re(ab)=12(ab+ba)\operatorname{Re}(a\overline{b}) = \frac{1}{2}(a\overline{b} + b\overline{a}).

Alternatively, interpret geometrically:
Let AA, BB, CC be the points with complex coordinates aa, bb, cc.
The given condition is:
a+2b3c=a4b+3c |a + 2b - 3c| = |a - 4b + 3c|
Let us denote z=a+2b3cz = a + 2b - 3c, w=a4b+3cw = a - 4b + 3c.

Note that z=w|z| = |w| means that zz and ww are equidistant from the origin.
But zw=(a+2b3c)(a4b+3c)=6b6c=6(bc)z - w = (a + 2b - 3c) - (a - 4b + 3c) = 6b - 6c = 6(b - c).
So zz and ww are collinear with bb and cc.

The midpoint of zz and ww is:
z+w2=(a+2b3c)+(a4b+3c)2=2a2b2=ab \frac{z + w}{2} = \frac{(a + 2b - 3c) + (a - 4b + 3c)}{2} = \frac{2a - 2b}{2} = a - b
So the segment zwzw is centered at aba - b and has direction bcb - c.

Since z=w|z| = |w|, the segment zwzw is perpendicular to the line joining the origin to aba - b.
That is, the vector bcb - c is perpendicular to aba - b.

Therefore, bcabb - c \perp a - b.
But aba - b is the vector from BB to AA, and bcb - c is the vector from CC to BB.
So the triangle ABCABC has ABC=90\angle ABC = 90^\circ.

Therefore, the triangle is right-angled.

Want a route through all this instead of an archive? The track puts 2,000 problems in a working order, from AMC 10 level to the IMO shortlist.

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