Maths Olympiad Prep

Library / /9 of 48

Geometry Difficulty 6.9 National olympiad Prove it Asia Pacific Mathematics Olympiad (APMO)

Let ABCABC be a scalene triangle with circumcircle Γ\Gamma. Let MM be the midpoint of BCBC. A variable point PP is selected in the line segment AMAM. The circumcircles of triangles BPMBPM and CPMCPM intersect Γ\Gamma again at points DD and EE, respectively. The lines DPDP and EPEP intersect (a second time) the circumcircles to triangles CPMCPM and BPMBPM at XX and YY, respectively. Prove that as PP varies, the circumcircle of AXY\triangle AXY passes through a fixed point TT distinct from AA.

Solutions — 2

Solution 1

Let NN be the radical center of the circumcircles of triangles ABCABC, BMPBMP and CMPCMP. The pairwise radical axes of these circles are BDBD, CECE and PMPM, and hence they concur at NN. Now, note that in directed angles:
MCE=MPE=MPY=MBY. \angle MCE = \angle MPE = \angle MPY = \angle MBY.
Figure 1
It follows that BYBY is parallel to CECE, and analogously that CXCX is parallel to BDBD. Then, if LL is the intersection of BYBY and CXCX, it follows that BNCLBNC L is a parallelogram. Since BM=MCBM = MC we deduce that LL is the reflection of NN with respect to MM, and therefore LAML \in AM. Using power of a point from LL to the circumcircles of triangles BPMBPM and CPMCPM, we have
LYLB=LPLM=LXLC. LY \cdot LB = LP \cdot LM = LX \cdot LC.
Hence, BYXCBYXC is cyclic. Using the cyclic quadrilateral we find in directed angles:
LXY=LBC=BCN=NDE. \angle LXY = \angle LBC = \angle BCN = \angle NDE.
Since CXBNCX \parallel BN, it follows that XYDEXY \parallel DE.
Let QQ and RR be two points in Γ\Gamma such that CQCQ, BRBR, and AMAM are all parallel. Then in directed angles:
QDB=QCB=AMB=PMB=PDB. \angle QDB = \angle QCB = \angle AMB = \angle PMB = \angle PDB.
Then DD, PP, QQ are collinear. Analogously EE, PP, RR are collinear. From here we get PRQ=PDE=PXY\angle PRQ = \angle PDE = \angle PXY, since XYXY and DEDE are parallel. Therefore QRYXQRYX is cyclic. Let SS be the radical center of the circumcircle of triangle ABCABC and the circles BCYXBCYX and QRYXQRYX. This point lies in the lines BCBC, QRQR and XYXY because these are the radical axes of the circles. Let TT be the second intersection of ASAS with Γ\Gamma. By power of a point from SS to the circumcircle of ABCABC and the circle BCXYBCXY we have
SXSY=SBSC=STSA. SX \cdot SY = SB \cdot SC = ST \cdot SA.
Therefore TT is in the circumcircle of triangle AXYAXY. Since QQ and RR are fixed regardless of the choice of PP, then SS is also fixed, since it is the intersection of QRQR and BCBC. This implies TT is also fixed, and therefore, the circumcircle of triangle AXYAXY goes through TAT \neq A for any choice of PP.

Solution 2

Let the lines DPDP and EPEP meet the circumcircle of ABCABC again at QQ and RR, respectively. Then DQC=DBC=DPM\angle DQC = \angle DBC = \angle DPM, so QCPMQC \parallel PM. Similarly, RBPMRB \parallel PM.
Figure 2
Now, QCB=PMB=PXC=(QX,CX)\angle QCB = \angle PMB = \angle PXC = \angle(QX, CX), which is half of the arc QCQC in the circumcircle ωC\omega_{C} of QXCQXC. So ωC\omega_{C} is tangent to BSBS; analogously, ωB\omega_{B}, the circumcircle of RYBRYB, is also tangent to BCBC. Since BRCQBR \parallel CQ, the inscribed trapezoid BRQCBRQC is isosceles, and by symmetry QRQR is also tangent to both circles, and the common perpendicular bisector of BRBR and CQCQ passes through the centers of ωB\omega_{B} and ωC\omega_{C}. Since MB=MCMB = MC and PMBRCQPM \parallel BR \parallel CQ, the line PMPM is the radical axis of ωB\omega_{B} and ωC\omega_{C}.
However, PMPM is also the radical axis of the circumcircles γB\gamma_{B} of PMBPMB and γC\gamma_{C} of PMCPMC. Let CXCX and PMPM meet at ZZ. Let p(K,ω)p(K, \omega) denote the power of a point KK with respect to a circumference ω\omega. We have
p(Z,γB)=p(Z,γC)=ZXZC=p(Z,ωB)=p(Z,ωC). p\left(Z, \gamma_{B}\right) = p\left(Z, \gamma_{C}\right) = ZX \cdot ZC = p\left(Z, \omega_{B}\right) = p\left(Z, \omega_{C}\right).
Point ZZ is thus the radical center of γB\gamma_{B}, γC\gamma_{C}, ωB\omega_{B}, ωC\omega_{C}. Thus, the radical axes BYBY, CXCX, PMPM meet at ZZ. From here,
ZYZB=ZCZXBCXY cyclicPYPR=PXPQQRXT cyclic. \begin{aligned} & ZY \cdot ZB = ZC \cdot ZX \Rightarrow BCXY \text{ cyclic} \\ & PY \cdot PR = PX \cdot PQ \Rightarrow QRXT \text{ cyclic.} \end{aligned}
We may now finish as in Solution 1. \square

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 and solution reproduced as published; topic and difficulty added by this site.