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Geometry Difficulty 6.7 National olympiad Prove it Turkey

Let K(M,N)K(M, N) be the collection of the midpoints of the line segments with one endpoint belongs to MM and the other endpoint belongs to NN where MM and NN are regular convex polygonal regions in the plane. Determine all pairs (M,N)(M, N) for which K(M,N)K(M, N) is a regular convex polygonal region.

Solution

We will show that K=K(M,N)K = K(M, N) is a regular polygon if and only if either NN is homothetic to MM, or NN is obtained from MM by a 180/m180/m degree rotation about the center of MM followed by a translation where mm is the number of edges of MM.

In the following when we say an edge XYXY of a convex polygon it will always be implied that YY is the vertex coming after XX counterclockwise along the boundary of the polygon.

Let ABAB be an edge of MM. Then there is a unique line \ell such that N\ell \cap N is either (1) an edge ABA'B' or (2) a vertex CC of NN, and the closed half-planes determined by the lines ABAB and \ell and containing MM and NN, respectively, have nonempty intersection. Let e(AB)e(AB) denote the central median of the trapezoid ABBAABB'A' in Case 1 and the midline parallel to the side ABAB of the triangle ABCABC in Case 2. Let h(AB)h(AB) denote the closed half-plane defined by the line containing e(AB)e(AB) which has nonempty intersection with the half-planes mentioned above. The same notation will also be used when the roles of MM and NN are interchanged.

Let K1K_1 be the intersection of the half-planes h(AB)h(AB) for all edges ABAB of MM and NN. K1K_1 is a convex polygon and its boundary is the union of the line segments e(AB)e(AB) for all edges ABAB of MM and NN. Since h(AB)h(AB) contains KK for all edges ABAB of MM or NN, K1K_1 contains KK. In fact, K1=KK_1 = K: If XX is in K1K_1, then (by the Intermediate Value Theorem) XX is the midpoint of a line segment YZYZ where YY and ZZ are on the edges of K1K_1. There exists DD and EE on the edges of MM, and DD' and EE' on the edges of NN such that YY and ZZ are the midpoints of the line segments DDDD' and EEEE', respectively. Let FF be the midpoint of the line segment DEDE, and let FF' be the midpoints of the line segment DED'E'. Then FF is in MM, FF' is in NN, and XX is the midpoint of FFFF'. This shows that K1=KK_1 = K.

An edge of KK will be called *t-type* in Case 1 and *M-type* in Case 2. *N-type* is defined similarly. Let dMd_M and dNd_N be the edge lengths of MM and NN, respectively. Then *M-type*, *N-type* and *t-type* edges have lengths dM/2d_M/2, dN/2d_N/2 and (dM+dN)/2(d_M+d_N)/2, respectively.

Assume that KK is a regular polygon. Since KK is equilateral, it cannot have MM-type and tt-type edges or NN-type and tt-type edges at the same time. If all edges are tt-type, then edges of MM and NN are parallel in pairs, and since MM and NN are regular polygons, this means that they are homothetic. In this case the reverse implication is obvious.

Now we will consider the remaining case when KK is regular: KK has both MM-type edges and NN-type edges, but no tt-type edge. Then dM=dNd_M = d_N. Choose adjacent edges of different types: Let ABAB be an MM-type edge of KK and let BCBC be an NN-type edge of KK. Then AB=e(A1B1)AB = e(A_1B_1) is the midline of the triangle A1B1B2A_1B_1B_2, and BC=e(B2C2)BC = e(B_2C_2) is the midline of the triangle B2C2B1B_2C_2B_1 where A1B1A_1B_1 is an edge of MM and B2C2B_2C_2 is an edge of NN. Let B1C1B_1C_1 be the other edge of MM at vertex B1B_1, and let A2B2A_2B_2 be the other edge of NN at vertex B2B_2.

Since AB//A1B1AB//A_1B_1 and BC//B2C2BC//B_2C_2, the angle ABCABC is greater than both the angle A1B1C1A_1B_1C_1 and the angle A2B2C2A_2B_2C_2. On the other hand, the angle between two adjacent MM-type edges of KK is equal to an interior angle of MM, and the angle between two adjacent NN-type edges is equal to an interior angle of NN. Since KK is regular, we conclude that KK cannot have adjacent edges of the same type. Hence MM-type and NN-type edges must alternate and are equal in number. As the MM-type edges are in bijection with the edges of MM, and the NN-type edges with the edges of NN, NN is also an mm-gon and KK is an equilateral 2m2m-gon.

Let θ\theta be the acute angle between the lines B1C1B_1C_1 and B2C2B_2C_2. Then we have the equality ABC=A1B1C1+θ\angle ABC = \angle A_1B_1C_1 + \theta. This means 180(2m2)/(2m)=180(m2)/m+θ180^\circ \cdot (2m-2)/(2m) = 180^\circ \cdot (m-2)/m + \theta. That is, θ=180/m\theta = 180^\circ/m. This completes the proof of the remaining case. In this case the reverse implication follows immediately from the same equality and the relation among the side lengths.

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