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Geometry Difficulty 7.1 National olympiad, round 2 Prove it

Let the excircle of the triangle ABCABC lying opposite to AA touch its side BCBC at the point A1A_{1}. Define the points B1B_{1} and C1C_{1} analogously. Suppose that the circumcentre of the triangle A1B1C1A_{1}B_{1}C_{1} lies on the circumcircle of the triangle ABCABC. Prove that the triangle ABCABC is right-angled. (Russia)

Solution

Denote the circumcircles of the triangles ABCA B C and A1B1C1A_{1} B_{1} C_{1} by Ω\Omega and Γ\Gamma, respectively. Denote the midpoint of the arc CBC B of Ω\Omega containing AA by A0A_{0}, and define B0B_{0} as well as C0C_{0} analogously. By our hypothesis the centre QQ of Γ\Gamma lies on Ω\Omega.

Lemma. One has A0B1=A0C1A_{0} B_{1}=A_{0} C_{1}. Moreover, the points A,A0,B1A, A_{0}, B_{1}, and C1C_{1} are concyclic. Finally, the points AA and A0A_{0} lie on the same side of B1C1B_{1} C_{1}. Similar statements hold for BB and CC.

Proof. Let us consider the case A=A0A=A_{0} first. Then the triangle ABCA B C is isosceles at AA, which implies AB1=AC1A B_{1}=A C_{1} while the remaining assertions of the Lemma are obvious. So let us suppose AA0A \neq A_{0} from now on.

By the definition of A0A_{0}, we have A0B=A0CA_{0} B=A_{0} C. It is also well known and easy to show that BC1=B C_{1}= CB1C B_{1}. Next, we have C1BA0=ABA0=ACA0=B1CA0\angle C_{1} B A_{0}=\angle A B A_{0}=\angle A C A_{0}=\angle B_{1} C A_{0}. Hence the triangles A0BC1A_{0} B C_{1} and A0CB1A_{0} C B_{1} are congruent. This implies A0C1=A0B1A_{0} C_{1}=A_{0} B_{1}, establishing the first part of the Lemma. It also follows that A0C1A=A0B1A\angle A_{0} C_{1} A=\angle A_{0} B_{1} A, as these are exterior angles at the corresponding vertices C1C_{1} and B1B_{1} of the congruent triangles A0BC1A_{0} B C_{1} and A0CB1A_{0} C B_{1}. For that reason the points A,A0,B1A, A_{0}, B_{1}, and C1C_{1} are indeed the vertices of some cyclic quadrilateral two opposite sides of which are AA0A A_{0} and B1C1B_{1} C_{1}.

Now we turn to the solution. Evidently the points A1,B1A_{1}, B_{1}, and C1C_{1} lie interior to some semicircle arc of Γ\Gamma, so the triangle A1B1C1A_{1} B_{1} C_{1} is obtuse-angled. Without loss of generality, we will assume that its angle at B1B_{1} is obtuse. Thus QQ and B1B_{1} lie on different sides of A1C1A_{1} C_{1}; obviously, the same holds for the points BB and B1B_{1}. So, the points QQ and BB are on the same side of A1C1A_{1} C_{1}.

Notice that the perpendicular bisector of A1C1A_{1} C_{1} intersects Ω\Omega at two points lying on different sides of A1C1A_{1} C_{1}. By the first statement from the Lemma, both points B0B_{0} and QQ are among these points of intersection; since they share the same side of A1C1A_{1} C_{1}, they coincide (see Figure 1).

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Figure 1

Now, by the first part of the Lemma again, the lines QA0Q A_{0} and QC0Q C_{0} are the perpendicular bisectors of B1C1B_{1} C_{1} and A1B1A_{1} B_{1}, respectively. Thus
C1B0A1=C1B0B1+B1B0A1=2A0B0B1+2B1B0C0=2A0B0C0=180ABC \angle C_{1} B_{0} A_{1}=\angle C_{1} B_{0} B_{1}+\angle B_{1} B_{0} A_{1}=2 \angle A_{0} B_{0} B_{1}+2 \angle B_{1} B_{0} C_{0}=2 \angle A_{0} B_{0} C_{0}=180^{\circ}-\angle A B C
recalling that A0A_{0} and C0C_{0} are the midpoints of the arcs CBC B and BAB A, respectively.

On the other hand, by the second part of the Lemma we have
C1B0A1=C1BA1=ABC. \angle C_{1} B_{0} A_{1}=\angle C_{1} B A_{1}=\angle A B C .

From the last two equalities, we get ABC=90\angle A B C=90^{\circ}, whereby the problem is solved.

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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.