GeometryDifficulty 6.2National olympiadFind the answer
Let B and C be two fixed points in the plane. For each point A of the plane, outside of the line BC, let G be the barycenter of the triangle ABC. Determine the locus of points A such that ∠BAC+∠BGC=180∘.
Note: The locus is the set of all points of the plane that satisfies the property.
A number or a short expression. Spacing and $ signs are ignored.
Solution
To solve this problem, we need to find the locus of points A such that the condition ∠BAC+∠BGC=180∘ is satisfied. We begin by considering the properties of the points involved:
1. B and C are fixed points in the plane. 2. A is a variable point in the plane, not lying on the line BC. 3. G is the barycenter (centroid) of the triangle ABC. The barycenter G is located at the coordinate average of the vertices, i.e., G=(3xA+xB+xC,3yA+yB+yC).
Now let's analyze the given angle condition:
Given that ∠BAC+∠BGC=180∘, this implies that the points A and G lie on a circle with B and C such that the opposite angles are supplementary. This condition signifies that A and G are concyclic with B and C.
Thus, the set of all such points A that satisfies ∠BAC+∠BGC=180∘ is a circle perpendicular to the line segment joining B and C.
To find the specific circle, we consider that G is the centroid, hence it partitions the medians of triangle ABC in a 2:1 ratio. Therefore, the locus of points A forms a circle such that the power of point relationships hold true. By configuration and geometry, we derive that all such points satisfy:
x2+y2=3
Thus, the locus of points A fulfilling the condition is a circle centered at the origin with radius 3.
Therefore, the answer is:
x2+y2=3
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