Maths Olympiad Prep

Track / Stage 5 / 202 of 400 #802 of 1964

Problem 802

AIME late
Combinatorics Difficulty 5.5 Find the answer

Yasinsky V.

On the plane, there are n(n>2)n(n>2) points, no three of which lie on the same line. In how many different ways can this set of points be divided into two non-empty subsets such that the convex hulls of these subsets do not intersect?

A number or a short expression. Spacing, $ signs and \frac vs / are all fine.

Official solution

Since the convex hulls of two subsets do not intersect, they lie on opposite sides of some line. Thus, it is necessary to find out in how many ways the given set of points can be divided by a line into two subsets. Let's take a point OO in the plane, not lying on any of the lines connecting the given points, and consider the polar correspondence with center OO. The given points will correspond to nn lines, no two of which are parallel and no three of which intersect at one point. As is known (see problem 60323)\underline{60323}), these lines divide the plane into 1/2n(n+1)+11 / 2 n(n+1)+1 parts, of which 2n2 n are unbounded.

Lemma. Suppose the polars a,ba, b of points A,BA, B divide the plane into four angles. Then the poles of lines intersecting segment ABA B lie in two vertical angles, and the poles of lines not intersecting segment ABA B lie in the other two angles.

Proof. Let a line ll intersect line ABA B at point XX. Then the polar of XX passes through the point of intersection of aa and bb. If we rotate ll around XX, then its pole will move along this line, that is, within a pair of vertical angles formed by aa and bb. As point XX moves along ABA B, its polar rotates around the point of intersection of aa and bb, transitioning from one pair of vertical angles to another at the moments when XX passes through point AA or BB.

It follows from the lemma that two lines divide the given set of points in the same way if and only if their poles either lie in one of the parts into which the plane is divided by the polars of the given points, or lie on opposite sides of all nn lines. But the second case is possible if and only if both points lie in unbounded regions. Indeed, if points P,QP, Q lie on opposite sides of all lines, then each of these lines intersects segment PQP Q. Therefore, each of the rays extending this segment lies entirely in one part. Conversely, if point PP lies in an unbounded part, then take a ray with its origin at this point, lying entirely in this part and not parallel to any of the nn lines. Points of the opposite ray, lying further from PP than all points of intersection with the lines, lie on opposite sides of PP from these lines.

Thus, the 2n2 n unbounded regions are divided into pairs, each of which corresponds to one way of dividing the given set of points, and each of the other regions corresponds to its own way of dividing. In total, we get 1/2n(n1)+11 / 2 n(n-1)+1 ways, one of which results in all nn points falling into one subset.

## Answer

1/2n(n1)1 / 2 n(n-1) ways.

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