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Problem 1838

National Olympiad, first round
Geometry Difficulty 6.8 Prove it February · United States · 2017

Let SS be a set of 2017 distinct points in the plane. Let RR be the radius of the smallest circle containing all points in SS on either the interior or boundary. Also, let DD be the longest distance between two of the points in SS. Let a,ba, b be real numbers such that aDRba \leq \frac{D}{R} \leq b for all possible sets SS, where aa is as large as possible and bb is as small as possible. Find the pair (a,b)(a, b).

This one wants a proof. Work it on paper, then read the official solution and mark yourself. Be honest about it: the record is only any use to you if it is.

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Official solution

Solution:

It is easy to verify that the smallest circle enclosing all the points will either have some 2 points in SS as its diameter, or will be the circumcircle of some 3 points in SS who form an acute triangle.

Now, clearly DR2\frac{D}{R} \leq 2. Indeed consider the two farthest pair of points S1,S2S_{1}, S_{2}. Then D=S1S22RD=|S_{1} S_{2}| \leq 2R, as both points S1,S2S_{1}, S_{2} are inside a circle of radius RR. We can achieve this upper bound by taking SS to have essentially only 2 points, and the remaining 2015 points in SS are at the same place as these 2 points.

For the other direction, I claim DR3\frac{D}{R} \geq \sqrt{3}. Recall that the smallest circle is either the circumcircle of 3 points, or has some 2 points as the diameter. In the latter case, say the diameter is S1S2S_{1} S_{2}. Then DS1S2=2RD \geq |S_{1} S_{2}| = 2R, so DR2\frac{D}{R} \geq 2 in that case. Now say the points S1,S2,S3S_{1}, S_{2}, S_{3} are the circumcircle. WLOG, say that S1S2S_{1} S_{2} is the longest side of the triangle. As remarked above, we can assume this triangle is acute. Therefore, π3S1S3S2π2\frac{\pi}{3} \leq \angle S_{1} S_{3} S_{2} \leq \frac{\pi}{2}. By the Law of Sines we have that
DS1S2=2RsinS1S3S22Rsinπ3=R3 D \geq |S_{1} S_{2}| = 2R \sin \angle S_{1} S_{3} S_{2} \geq 2R \sin \frac{\pi}{3} = R \sqrt{3}
This completes the proof. To achieve equality, we can take SS to have 3 points in the shape of an equilateral triangle.

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