Given an isosceles triangle ABC with AB=AC and BAC<60∘, let D be the point on AC such that DBC=BAC, let E be the intersection of the perpendicular bisector of BD with the line through A parallel to BC, and let F be the point on line AC, on the side of A with respect to C, such that the length of FA is twice the length of AC. Finally, let r be the perpendicular to AB drawn from F, s the perpendicular to AC drawn from E, and t the line BD. Prove that: (a) the lines EB and AC are parallel; (b) the lines r, s and t are concurrent.
Solution
Solution:
For convenience of notation, let BAC=α and ABC=ACB=β.
Let us draw the circle circumscribed about triangle BDA and let E′ be its intersection with the parallel to BC through A; we will show that E′ lies on the perpendicular bisector of BD, and must therefore coincide with E. We have BAD=BE′D=α (both subtend BD), E′DB=E′AB=ABC=β (the last equality follows from the parallelism of lines E′A and BC); hence triangle BE′D is similar to triangle BAC, and is therefore isosceles. It follows that E′ lies on the perpendicular bisector of the base BD,
as required. Moreover we have thus obtained that BEA must be supplementary to ADB, that is, equal to β. This proves the parallelism between line EB and line AC.
Now let P be the point of intersection between lines r and s, and Q the point of intersection between lines r and t; call H the projection of F onto line AB. By construction, line r is perpendicular to line AB, while line s is perpendicular to AC, hence to its parallel BE; in other words, angles BEP and BHP are right angles, so quadrilateral BEHP is cyclic. It would suffice to show that Q lies on the circle circumscribed about BEHP to conclude that P and Q coincide (since both are points on line r different from H), from which the concurrency of lines r, s and t follows.
The angle BQH, since BHQ is a right angle, equals 90∘−(ABC−CBD)=90∘+α−β. Note that quadrilateral AEFH is cyclic: AHF is a right angle by construction; EA is congruent to BC, AF is twice AC, EAF=β, and hence triangle EAF is similar to the triangle formed by A, B and the foot of the altitude of ABC from A, so the angle FEA is also a right angle. Observing that both FEH and FAH subtend the arc FH, we have shown FEH=FAH=α. We consequently obtain BEH=BEA+AEF−FEH=β+90∘−α; that is, angles BQH and BEH are supplementary, so quadrilateral BQHE is cyclic. We have thus shown that Q belongs to the circle circumscribed about BEHP, whence the claim.
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