Maths Olympiad Prep

Library / China Mathematical Competition /30 of 136

China Mathematical Competition

Geometry Difficulty 4.3 AIME Find the answer China

Line x−2y−1=0x - 2y - 1 = 0 and parabola y2=4xy^2 = 4x intersect at points AA, BB, point CC is on the parabola, and ∠ACB=90∘\angle ACB = 90^\circ. Then the coordinate of CC is ______.

A number or a short expression. Fractions can be typed as 3/2, and spacing doesn't matter.

Solution

Let A(x1,y1)A(x_1, y_1), B(x2,y2)B(x_2, y_2), C(t2,2t)C(t^2, 2t). From
{x−2y−1=0,y2=4x, \begin{cases} x - 2y - 1 = 0, \\ y^2 = 4x, \end{cases}
we get y2−8y−4=0y^2 - 8y - 4 = 0, which means y1+y2=8y_1 + y_2 = 8, y1⋅y2=−4y_1 \cdot y_2 = -4.
Since x1=2y1+1x_1 = 2y_1 + 1, x2=2y2+1x_2 = 2y_2 + 1, we have
x1+x2=2(y1+y2)+2=18,x1⋅x2=4y1⋅y2+2(y1+y2)+1=1. \begin{aligned} x_1 + x_2 &= 2(y_1 + y_2) + 2 = 18, \\ x_1 \cdot x_2 &= 4y_1 \cdot y_2 + 2(y_1 + y_2) + 1 = 1. \end{aligned}
Furthermore, by ∠ACB=90∘\angle ACB = 90^\circ, we have CA⃗⋅CB⃗=0\vec{CA} \cdot \vec{CB} = 0, which means
(t2−x1)(t2−x2)+(2t−y1)(2t−y2)=0, (t^2 - x_1)(t^2 - x_2) + (2t - y_1)(2t - y_2) = 0,
that is
t4−(x1+x2)t2+x1⋅x2+4t2−2(y1+y2)t+y1⋅y2=0. t^4 - (x_1 + x_2)t^2 + x_1 \cdot x_2 + 4t^2 - 2(y_1 + y_2)t + y_1 \cdot y_2 = 0.
Then
t4−14t2−16t−3=0, t^4 - 14t^2 - 16t - 3 = 0,
or
(t2+4t+3)(t2−4t−1)=0. (t^2 + 4t + 3)(t^2 - 4t - 1) = 0.
Obviously, t2−4t−1≠0t^2 - 4t - 1 \neq 0; otherwise, we have t2−2⋅2t−1=0t^2 - 2 \cdot 2t - 1 = 0, which means CC is on x−2y−1=0x - 2y - 1 = 0, i.e., CC coincides with either AA or BB. So t2+4t+3=0t^2 + 4t + 3 = 0. Then t1=−1t_1 = -1, t2=−3t_2 = -3.
Therefore, the coordinate of CC is (1,−2)(1, -2) or (9,−6)(9, -6).

Want a route through all this instead of an archive? The track puts 2,604 problems in a working order, from Junior Challenge level to the IMO shortlist.

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