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Geometry Difficulty 6.4 National olympiad Prove it South Africa

Let ABCABC be a triangle, and let TT be a point on the extension of ABAB beyond BB, and UU a point on the extension of ACAC beyond CC, such that BT=CUBT = CU. Moreover, let RR and SS be points on the extensions of ABAB and ACAC beyond AA such that AS=ATAS = AT and AR=AUAR = AU. Prove that R,S,T,UR, S, T, U lie on a circle whose centre lies on the circumcircle of ABCABC.

Solutions — 2

Solution 1

Figure 1
Figure 2

Since AS=ATAS = AT, we have AST=ATS=12BAC\angle AST = \angle ATS = \frac{1}{2}\angle BAC. Similarly, ARU=AUR=12BAC\angle ARU = \angle AUR = \frac{1}{2}\angle BAC, so that S=R\angle S = \angle R. This implies that R,S,TR, S, T and UU are concylic.

We now show that the centre OO of the circle ω\omega through R,S,TR, S, T and UU, lies on the circumcircle of ABCABC. We know that OO lies on the perpendicular bisector of STST (which is also the perpendicular bisector of RURU, since STRUST \parallel RU). This perpendicular bisector forms a diameter of ω\omega, and contains AA.

If O=AO = A, then we are finished, since AA is certainly on the circumcircle of ABCABC. So suppose that the points OO and AA are different, as shown in Figure 2. Drop perpendiculars from OO to BRBR (which is BABA extended), to ACAC, and to CBCB. Let the feet of these perpendiculars be I,JI, J and KK, respectively. It is known that OO is on the circumcircle of ABCABC if and only if the points I,JI, J and KK are collinear. (In case this happens, the line through I,J,KI, J, K is called the Simson line of ABCABC determined by OO.)

In order to show that I,J,KI, J, K are collinear, it is sufficient to show that JKO=IKO\angle JKO = \angle IKO. Since OJC=OKC=90\angle OJC = \angle OKC = 90^\circ, OJKCOJKC is a cyclic quadrilateral, so that JKO=JCO\angle JKO = \angle JCO. Our next observation is that IT=JUIT = JU. This follows from the fact that OI=OJOI = OJ (from symmetry – recall that triangle RAURAU is isosceles, and AOAO is on the perpendicular bisector of RURU), and OT=OUOT = OU, giving IT2=OT2OI2=OU2OJ2=JU2IT^2 = OT^2 - OI^2 = OU^2 - OJ^2 = JU^2. Hence, IB=ITBT=JUCU=JCIB = IT - BT = JU - CU = JC, from which we get that triangles OIBOIB and OJCOJC are congruent. We therefore have IBO=JCO\angle IBO = \angle JCO. Finally, since IOKBIOKB is a cyclic quadrilateral (BIO=BKO=90\angle BIO = \angle BKO = 90^\circ), we also have IBO=IKO\angle IBO = \angle IKO.

Putting everything together, we conclude that JKO=JCO=IBO=IKO\angle JKO = \angle JCO = \angle IBO = \angle IKO, and we are done.

Solution 2

The same strategy as in Solution 1 shows that RSTURSTU is cyclic.

The centre OO must lie on the four perpendicular bisectors of RS,ST,SURS, ST, SU and RURU. But since triangles RAURAU and SATSAT are isosceles, the perpendicular bisectors of STST and RURU pass through AA and bisect the angle RAURAU.

Now TOU=2TSU\angle TOU = 2\angle TSU, since OO is the centre of circle RSTURSTU, which equals TSU+ATS\angle TSU + \angle ATS, since AS=ATAS=AT, which in turn equals TAU\angle TAU, the exterior angle in triangle ASTAST. This proves that AOUTAOUT is cyclic and hence BTO=ATO=AUO=CUO\angle BTO = \angle ATO = \angle AUO = \angle CUO.

Along with OT=OUOT=OU (radii) and the given BT=CUBT=CU, we conclude that triangles BTOBTO and CUOCUO are congruent, so BOT=COU\angle BOT = \angle COU. Finally BAC=TAU=TOU=BOCBOT+COU=BOC\angle BAC = \angle TAU = \angle TOU = \angle BOC - \angle BOT + \angle COU = \angle BOC and thus ABCOABCO is cyclic.

(The problem could also be finished by noting that OO lies on the perpendicular bisector of BCBC and the exterior angle bisector of AA and thus lies on the circumcircle, but this assumes some extra knowledge that the above presentation doesn't.)

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