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Geometry Difficulty 4.9 AIME Find the answer

4. (HUN) Construct a triangle ABCA B C whose lengths of heights hah_{a} and hbh_{b} (from AA and BB, respectively) and length of median mam_{a} (from AA) are given.

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Solution

4. Analysis. Let AA^{\prime} and BB^{\prime} be the feet of the perpendiculars from AA and BB, respectively, to the opposite sides, A1A_{1} the midpoint of BCB C, and let DD^{\prime} be the foot of the perpendicular from A1A_{1} to ACA C. We then have AA1=maA A_{1}=m_{a}, AA=ha,AAA1=90,A1D=hb/2A A^{\prime}=h_{a}, \angle A A^{\prime} A_{1}=90^{\circ}, A_{1} D^{\prime}=h_{b} / 2, and ADA1=90\angle A D^{\prime} A_{1}=90^{\circ}. Construction. We construct the quadrilateral ADA1AA D^{\prime} A_{1} A^{\prime} (starting from the circle with diameter AA1A A_{1} ). Then CC is the intersection of AA1A^{\prime} A_{1} and ADA D^{\prime}, and BB is on the line A1CA_{1} C such that CA1=A1BC A_{1}=A_{1} B and B(B,A1,C)\mathcal{B}\left(B, A_{1}, C\right). Discussion. We must have maham_{a} \geq h_{a} and mahb/2m_{a} \geq h_{b} / 2. The number of solutions is 0 if ma=ha=hb/2,1m_{a}=h_{a}=h_{b} / 2,1 if two of ma,ha,hb/2m_{a}, h_{a}, h_{b} / 2 are equal, and 2 otherwise.

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