Maths Olympiad Prep

Track / Stage 7 / 273 of 300 #1673 of 1964

Problem 1673

National olympiad second round; IMO P1/P4
Geometry Difficulty 7.7 Prove it

ABCABC is a right-angled triangle, with ABC=90\angle ABC = 90^{\circ}. BB' is the reflection of BB over ACAC. MM is the midpoint of ACAC. We choose DD on BM\overrightarrow{BM}, such that BD=ACBD = AC. Prove that BCB'C is the angle bisector of MBD\angle MB'D.

NOTE: An important condition not mentioned in the original problem is AB<BCAB<BC. Otherwise, MBD\angle MB'D is not defined or BCB'C is the external bisector.

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.

Official solution

1. **Reflecting B B over AC AC :**
Given that ABC \triangle ABC is a right-angled triangle with ABC=90 \angle ABC = 90^\circ , reflecting B B over AC AC results in point B B' . Since ABC=90 \angle ABC = 90^\circ , the reflection B B' will also form a right angle with AC AC . Therefore, ABC=90 \angle AB'C = 90^\circ .

2. **Midpoint M M and circle centered at M M :**
Let M M be the midpoint of AC AC . Since M M is the midpoint, M M is equidistant from A A and C C . The circle centered at M M with radius MA=MC MA = MC will pass through both A A and C C .

3. **Point B B' on the circle:**
Since ABC=90 \angle AB'C = 90^\circ , B B' lies on the circle with diameter AC AC (Thales' theorem). This is because any angle inscribed in a semicircle is a right angle.

4. **Choosing point D D on BM \overrightarrow{BM} :**
We choose point D D on BM \overrightarrow{BM} such that BD=AC BD = AC . Since M M is the midpoint of AC AC , BM BM is perpendicular to AC AC and BD BD is equal to the length of AC AC .

5. **Point D D on the circle:**
Since BD=AC BD = AC and B B is on the circle with diameter AC AC , D D must also lie on this circle. This is because the length BD BD is equal to the diameter of the circle, and thus D D must be on the circle.

6. **Congruence of triangles BFC \triangle BFC and BFC \triangle B'FC :**
Let F F be the foot of the perpendicular from B B to AC AC . Since B B and B B' are reflections over AC AC , BF=BF BF = B'F and BFC=BFC=90 \angle BFC = \angle B'FC = 90^\circ . Therefore, BFCBFC \triangle BFC \cong \triangle B'FC by the Hypotenuse-Leg (HL) congruence theorem.

7. Angle bisector property:
Since BFCBFC \triangle BFC \cong \triangle B'FC , we have BCF=BCF \angle BCF = \angle B'CF . This implies that BCF \angle B'CF is bisected by CF CF . Since F F is the midpoint of AC AC , CF CF is the angle bisector of BCD \angle B'CD .

8. Inscribed angles:
Since B B' and D D lie on the circle with diameter AC AC , the inscribed angles BCA \angle B'CA and DCA \angle DCA are equal. Therefore, BCA=DCA \angle B'CA = \angle DCA .

9. Conclusion:
Since BCA=DCA \angle B'CA = \angle DCA , BC B'C is the angle bisector of MBD \angle MB'D .

\blacksquare

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