Olympiad Maths Prep

Track / Stage 8 / 170 of 180 #1870 of 2000

Problem 1870

IMO Shortlist mid-range; USAMO P2/P5
Geometry Difficulty 8.8 Prove it International Mathematical Olympiad · IMO

In an acute-angled triangle ABCA B C, point HH is the foot of the altitude from AA. Let PP be a moving point such that the bisectors kk and \ell of angles PBCP B C and PCBP C B, respectively, intersect each other on the line segment AHA H. Let kk and ACA C meet at EE, let \ell and ABA B meet at FF, and let EFE F and AHA H meet at QQ. Prove that, as PP varies, the line PQP Q passes through a fixed point.

This one wants a proof. Work it on paper, read the official solution, then mark yourself honestly — the ladder only means something if the record is true.

Official solutions — 2

Solution 1

Let the reflections of the line BCB C with respect to the lines ABA B and ACA C intersect at point KK. We will prove that P,QP, Q and KK are collinear, so KK is the common point of the varying line PQP Q.
Let lines BEB E and CFC F intersect at II. For every point OO and d>0d>0, denote by (O,dO, d) the circle centred at OO with radius dd, and define ωI=(I,IH)\omega_{I}=(I, I H) and ωA=(A,AH)\omega_{A}=(A, A H). Let ωK\omega_{K} and ωP\omega_{P} be the incircle of triangle KBCK B C and the PP-excircle of triangle PBCP B C, respectively.
Since IHBCI H \perp B C and AHBCA H \perp B C, the circles ωA\omega_{A} and ωI\omega_{I} are tangent to each other at HH. So, HH is the external homothetic centre of ωA\omega_{A} and ωI\omega_{I}. From the complete quadrangle BCEFB C E F we have (A,I;Q,H)=1(A, I ; Q, H)=-1, therefore QQ is the internal homothetic centre of ωA\omega_{A} and ωI\omega_{I}. Since BAB A and CAC A are the external bisectors of angles KBC\angle K B C and KCB\angle K C B, circle ωA\omega_{A} is the KK-excircle in triangle BKCB K C. Hence, KK is the external homothetic centre of ωA\omega_{A} and ωK\omega_{K}. Also it is clear that PP is the external homothetic centre of ωI\omega_{I} and ωP\omega_{P}.
Let point TT be the tangency point of ωP\omega_{P} and BCB C, and let TT' be the tangency point of ωK\omega_{K} and BCB C. Since ωI\omega_{I} is the incircle and ωP\omega_{P} is the PP-excircle of PBCP B C, TC=BHT C=B H and since ωK\omega_{K} is the incircle and ωA\omega_{A} is the KK-excircle of KBCK B C, TC=BHT' C=B H. Therefore TC=TCT C=T' C and TTT \equiv T'. It yields that ωK\omega_{K} and ωP\omega_{P} are tangent to each other at TT.
Figure 1
Let point SS be the internal homothetic centre of ωA\omega_{A} and ωP\omega_{P}, and let SS' be the internal homothetic centre of ωI\omega_{I} and ωK\omega_{K}. It's obvious that SS and SS' lie on BCB C. We claim that SSS \equiv S'. To prove our claim, let rA,rI,rPr_{A}, r_{I}, r_{P}, and rKr_{K} be the radii of ωA,ωI,ωP\omega_{A}, \omega_{I}, \omega_{P} and ωK\omega_{K}, respectively.
It is well known that if the sides of a triangle are a,b,ca, b, c, its semiperimeter is s=(a+b+c)/2s=(a+b+c)/2, and the radii of the incircle and the aa-excircle are rr and rar_{a}, respectively, then rra=(sb)(sc)r \cdot r_{a}=(s-b)(s-c). Applying this fact to triangle PBCP B C we get rIrP=BHCHr_{I} \cdot r_{P}=B H \cdot C H. The same fact in triangle KCBK C B yields rKrA=CTBTr_{K} \cdot r_{A}=C T \cdot B T. Since BH=CTB H=C T and BT=CHB T=C H, from these two we get
HSST=rArP=rIrK=HSST, \frac{H S}{S T}=\frac{r_{A}}{r_{P}}=\frac{r_{I}}{r_{K}}=\frac{H S'}{S' T},
so S=SS=S' indeed.
Finally, by applying the generalised Monge's theorem to the circles ωA,ωI\omega_{A}, \omega_{I}, and ωK\omega_{K} (with two pairs of internal and one pair of external common tangents), we can see that points QQ, SS, and KK are collinear. Similarly one can show that Q,SQ, S and PP are collinear, and the result follows.

Solution 2

Again, let BEB E and CFC F meet at II, that is the incentre in triangle BCPB C P; then PIP I is the third angle bisector. From the tangent segments of the incircle we have BPCP=BHCHB P-C P= B H-C H; hence, the possible points PP lie on a branch of a hyperbola H\mathcal{H} with foci B,CB, C, and HH is a vertex of H\mathcal{H}. Since PIP I bisects the angle between the radii BPB P and CPC P of the hyperbola, line PIP I is tangent to H\mathcal{H}.
Figure 2
Let KK be the second intersection of PQP Q and H\mathcal{H}, we will show that AKA K is tangent to H\mathcal{H} at KK; this property determines KK.
Let G=KIAPG=K I \cap A P and M=PIAKM=P I \cap A K. From the complete quadrangle BCEFB C E F we can see that (H,Q;I,AH, Q ; I, A) is harmonic, so in the complete quadrangle APIKA P I K, point HH lies on line GMG M.
Consider triangle AIMA I M. Its side AIA I is tangent to H\mathcal{H} at HH, the side IMI M is tangent to H\mathcal{H} at PP, and KK is a common point of the third side AMA M and the hyperbola such that the lines APA P, IKI K and MHM H are concurrent at the generalised Gergonne-point GG. It follows that the third side, AMA M is also tangent to H\mathcal{H} at KK.
(Alternatively, in the last step we can apply the converse of Brianchon's theorem to the degenerate hexagon AHIPMKA H I P M K. By the theorem there is a conic section H\mathcal{H}' such that lines AI,IMA I, I M and MAM A are tangent to H\mathcal{H}' at H,PH, P and KK, respectively. But the three points H,KH, K and PP, together with the tangents at HH and PP uniquely determine H\mathcal{H}', so indeed H=H\mathcal{H}'=\mathcal{H}.)

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