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Geometry Difficulty 6.0 AIME, harder Prove it United States

Problem:
Let ABCABC be a triangle such that AB=AC=182AB = AC = 182 and BC=140BC = 140. Let X1X_{1} lie on ACAC such that CX1=130CX_{1} = 130. Let the line through X1X_{1} perpendicular to BX1BX_{1} at X1X_{1} meet ABAB at X2X_{2}. Define X2,X3,X_{2}, X_{3}, \ldots, as follows: for nn odd and n1n \geq 1, let Xn+1X_{n+1} be the intersection of ABAB with the perpendicular to Xn1XnX_{n-1}X_{n} through XnX_{n}; for nn even and n2n \geq 2, let Xn+1X_{n+1} be the intersection of ACAC with the perpendicular to Xn1XnX_{n-1}X_{n} through XnX_{n}. Find BX1+X1X2+X2X3+BX_{1} + X_{1}X_{2} + X_{2}X_{3} + \ldots

Solution

Solution:
Answer: 11065\frac{1106}{5}
Let MM and NN denote the perpendiculars from X1X_{1} and AA to BCBC, respectively. Since triangle ABCABC is isosceles, we have MM is the midpoint of BCBC. Moreover, since AMAM is parallel to X1NX_{1}N, we have NCX1C=MCACX1N130=70182=513\frac{NC}{X_{1}C} = \frac{MC}{AC} \Leftrightarrow \frac{X_{1}N}{130} = \frac{70}{182} = \frac{5}{13}, so NC=50NC = 50. Moreover, since X1NBCX_{1}N \perp BC, we find X1C=120X_{1}C = 120 by the Pythagorean Theorem. Also, BN=BCNC=14050=90BN = BC - NC = 140 - 50 = 90, so by the Pythagorean Theorem, X1B=150X_{1}B = 150.

We want to compute X2X1=X1Btan(ABX1)X_{2}X_{1} = X_{1}B \tan \left(\angle ABX_{1}\right). We have
tan(ABX1)=tan(ABCX1BC)=tan(ABC)tan(X1BC)1+tan(ABC)tan(X1BC)=(125)(43)1+(125)(43)=16156315=1663. \begin{aligned} \tan \left(\angle ABX_{1}\right) = \tan \left(\angle ABC - \angle X_{1}BC\right) & = \frac{\tan(\angle ABC) - \tan\left(\angle X_{1}BC\right)}{1 + \tan(\angle ABC)\tan\left(\angle X_{1}BC\right)} = \frac{\left(\frac{12}{5}\right) - \left(\frac{4}{3}\right)}{1 + \left(\frac{12}{5}\right)\left(\frac{4}{3}\right)} \\ & = \frac{\frac{16}{15}}{\frac{63}{15}} = \frac{16}{63} . \end{aligned}
Hence X2X1=1501663X_{2}X_{1} = 150 \cdot \frac{16}{63}, and by the Pythagorean Theorem again, X2B=1506563X_{2}B = 150 \cdot \frac{65}{63}.

Next, notice that AXnAXn+2\frac{AX_{n}}{AX_{n+2}} is constant for every nonnegative integer nn (where we let B=X0B = X_{0}). Indeed, since XnXn+1X_{n}X_{n+1} is parallel to Xn+2Xn+3X_{n+2}X_{n+3} for each nn, the dilation taking XnX_{n} to Xn+2X_{n+2} for some nn also takes XkX_{k} to Xk+2X_{k+2} for all kk.

Since AXn+2Xn+3AXnXn+1\triangle AX_{n+2}X_{n+3} \sim \triangle AX_{n}X_{n+1} with ratio AXnAXn+2\frac{AX_{n}}{AX_{n+2}} for each even nn, we can compute that Xn+2Xn+3XnXn+1=AXn+2AXn=115065182\frac{X_{n+2}X_{n+3}}{X_{n}X_{n+1}} = \frac{AX_{n+2}}{AX_{n}} = 1 - \frac{150 \cdot 65}{182} for every nonnegative integer nn. Notice we use all three sides of the above similar triangles.

We now split our desired sum into two geometric series, one with the even terms and one with the odd terms, to obtain
BX1+X1X2+=(BX1+X2X3+)+(X1X2+X3X4+)=1501506563182+15016631506563182=79631501506563182=11065. \begin{gathered} BX_{1} + X_{1}X_{2} + \ldots = \left(BX_{1} + X_{2}X_{3} + \ldots\right) + \left(X_{1}X_{2} + X_{3}X_{4} + \ldots\right) = \frac{150}{\frac{150 \cdot \frac{65}{63}}{182}} + \frac{150 \cdot \frac{16}{63}}{\frac{150 \cdot \frac{65}{63}}{182}} \\ = \frac{\frac{79}{63} \cdot 150}{\frac{150 \cdot \frac{65}{63}}{182}} = \frac{1106}{5} . \end{gathered}

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