Given is a triangle and is the midpoint of the minor arc . Let be the reflection of with respect to side . Prove that the nine-point circle bisects .
Problem 1591
Official solution
1. Identify Key Points and Definitions:
- Let be the orthocenter of .
- is the midpoint of the minor arc on the circumcircle .
- is the reflection of with respect to side .
2. Symmetry and Reflection:
- Reflecting across to get implies that lies on the circumcircle because reflecting across maps the circumcircle to .
3. Homothety Argument:
- Consider a homothety centered at with a coefficient of . This homothety maps the circumcircle to the nine-point circle of .
- Under this homothety, the point maps to the midpoint of .
4. Nine-Point Circle:
- The nine-point circle of passes through the midpoints of the sides of , the feet of the altitudes, and the midpoints of the segments joining the orthocenter to the vertices of .
- Since the homothety maps to the midpoint of , and the nine-point circle is invariant under this homothety, the midpoint of must lie on the nine-point circle.
5. Conclusion:
- Therefore, the nine-point circle bisects .