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Geometry Difficulty 6.7 National olympiad Prove it

Given two points A\mathrm{A} and B\mathrm{B}, take C\mathrm{C} on the perpendicular bisector of AB\mathrm{AB}. Define the sequence C1,C2,C3,C_{1}, C_{2}, C_{3}, \ldots as follows. C1=CC_{1}=C. If CnC_{n} is not on ABA B, then Cn+1C_{n+1} is the circumcenter of the triangle ABCn\mathrm{ABC}_{\mathrm{n}}. If Cn\mathrm{C}_{\mathrm{n}} lies on AB\mathrm{AB}, then Cn+1\mathrm{C}_{\mathrm{n}+1} is not defined and the sequence terminates. Find all points C\mathrm{C} such that the sequence is periodic from some point on.

Solution

Answer: any C\mathrm{C} such that ACB=180r/s\angle \mathrm{ACB}=180^{\circ} \mathrm{r} / \mathrm{s}, with r\mathrm{r} and s\mathrm{s} relatively prime integers and s\mathrm{s} not a power of 2.

Let ACnB=xn\angle \mathrm{AC}_{\mathrm{n}} \mathrm{B}=\mathrm{x}_{\mathrm{n}}, where the angle is measured clockwise, so that xn\mathrm{x}_{\mathrm{n}} is positive on one side of ABA B and negative on the other side. Then xnx_{n} uniquely identifies CnC_{n} on the perpendicular bisector.

We have xn+1=2xn\mathrm{x}_{\mathrm{n}+1}=2 \mathrm{x}_{\mathrm{n}}. To make this work in all cases we have to take it mod 180180^{\circ} (so that if ACnBA C_{n} B is obtuse, then Cn+1C_{n+1} lies on the other side of ABA B). If xnx_{n} is eventually periodic then xm+1x_{m+1} =xn+1=\mathrm{x}_{\mathrm{n}+1}, for some n>m\mathrm{n}>\mathrm{m}, so (2n2m)x1=0mod180\left(2^{\mathrm{n}}-2^{\mathrm{m}}\right) \mathrm{x}_{1}=0 \bmod 180. Hence x1=180r/s\mathrm{x}_{1}=180 \mathrm{r} / \mathrm{s} for some relatively prime integers r,s\mathrm{r}, \mathrm{s}. Also s\mathrm{s} cannot be a power of 2 for then we would have xk=180r\mathrm{x}_{\mathrm{k}}=180 \mathrm{r} for some k\mathrm{k}, in which case the sequence would terminate rather than be periodic.

Conversely, suppose x1=180r/s\mathrm{x}_{1}=180 \mathrm{r} / \mathrm{s}, with r\mathrm{r} and s\mathrm{s} relatively prime and s\mathrm{s} not a power of 2. Then xn+1=1802nr/s\mathrm{x}_{\mathrm{n}+1}=1802^{\mathrm{n}} \mathrm{r} / \mathrm{s} cannot be 0mod1800 \bmod 180, so the sequence does not terminate. Put s=2bc\mathrm{s}=2^{\mathrm{b}} \mathrm{c}, with c\mathrm{c} odd. Let d=φ(c)\mathrm{d}=\varphi(\mathrm{c}), where φ(m)\varphi(\mathrm{m}) is Euler's phi function, so that 2d=1modc2^{\mathrm{d}}=1 \mathrm{mod} \mathrm{c}. Then xb+1=180r/c\mathrm{x}_{\mathrm{b}+1}=180 \mathrm{r} / \mathrm{c} mod180\bmod 180 and 2b+d=2bmodc2^{\mathrm{b}+\mathrm{d}}=2^{\mathrm{b}} \bmod \mathrm{c}, so xb+d+1=180r/c\mathrm{x}_{\mathrm{b}+\mathrm{d}+1}=180 \mathrm{r} / \mathrm{c} mod 180. Hence the sequence is periodic.

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Source: NuminaMath-1.5, licensed Apache-2.0. Statement and solution reproduced as published; topic and difficulty added by this site.