Olympiad Maths Prep

Track / Stage 4 / 209 of 340 #469 of 2000

Problem 469

AMC 12 late, AIME early
Geometry Difficulty 4.8 Find the answer

8.7. Construct a triangle given a,mca, m_{c} and angle AA.

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 solution

8.7. Suppose that triangle ABCA B C is constructed. Let A1A_{1} and C1C_{1} be the midpoints of sides CBC B and ABA B. Since C1A1ACC_{1} A_{1} \| A C, then A1C1B=A\angle A_{1} C_{1} B=\angle A. From this, the following construction follows. First, construct segment CBC B of length aa and its midpoint A1A_{1}. Point C1C_{1} is the intersection of the circle of radius mcm_{c} centered at CC and the arcs of circles from which segment A1BA_{1} B is seen at angle AA. By constructing point C1C_{1}, lay off segment BA=2BC1B A=2 B C_{1} on ray BC1B C_{1}. Then AA is the desired vertex of the triangle.

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