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Geometry Difficulty 6.1 National Olympiad Prove it Romania

Given an acute triangle ABCABC, erect triangles ABDABD and ACEACE externally, so that ADB^=AEC^=90∘\widehat{ADB} = \widehat{AEC} = 90^\circ and BAD^≡CAE^\widehat{BAD} \equiv \widehat{CAE}. Let A1∈BCA_1 \in BC, B1∈ACB_1 \in AC and C1∈ABC_1 \in AB be the feet of the altitudes of the triangle ABCABC, and let KK and LL be the midpoints of [BC1][BC_1] and [CB1][CB_1], respectively. Prove that the circumcenters of the triangles AKLAKL, A1B1C1A_1B_1C_1 and DEA1DEA_1 are collinear.

Figure 1

Solution

Let MM, PP and QQ be the midpoints of [BC][BC], [CA][CA] and [AB][AB], respectively.

The circumcircle of triangle A1B1C1A_1B_1C_1 is the Euler circle. Point MM lies on this circle.

It is enough to prove now that [A1M][A_1M] is a common chord of the three circles, (A1B1C1)(A_1B_1C_1), (AKL)(AKL) and (DEA1)(DEA_1).

The segments [MK][MK] and [ML][ML] are midlines of the triangles BCC1BCC_1 and BCB1BCB_1 respectively, hence MK∥CC1⊥ABMK \parallel CC_1 \perp AB and ML∥BB1⊥ACML \parallel BB_1 \perp AC. So, the circle (AKL)(AKL) has diameter [AM][AM] and therefore passes through MM.

Finally, we prove that the quadrilateral DA1MEDA_1ME is cyclic.
From the cyclic quadrilaterals ADBA1ADBA_1 and AECA1AECA_1, AA1D‾≡ABD‾\overline{AA_1D} \equiv \overline{ABD} and AA1E‾≡ACE‾≡ABD‾\overline{AA_1E} \equiv \overline{ACE} \equiv \overline{ABD}, so DA1E‾=2ABD‾=180∘−2DAB‾\overline{DA_1E} = 2\overline{ABD} = 180^\circ - 2\overline{DAB}.
We notice now that DQ=AB/2=MPDQ = AB/2 = MP, QM=AC/2=PEQM = AC/2 = PE and
DQM‾=DQB‾+BQM‾=2DAB‾+BAC‾, \overline{DQM} = \overline{DQB} + \overline{BQM} = 2\overline{DAB} + \overline{BAC},
EPM‾=EPC‾+CPM‾=2EAC‾+CAB‾, \overline{EPM} = \overline{EPC} + \overline{CPM} = 2\overline{EAC} + \overline{CAB},
so ΔMPE≡ΔDQM\Delta MPE \equiv \Delta DQM (S.A.S.). This leads to DME‾=DMQ‾+QMP‾+PME‾=DMQ‾+BQM‾+QDM‾=180∘−DQB‾=180∘−2DAB‾\overline{DME} = \overline{DMQ} + \overline{QMP} + \overline{PME} = \overline{DMQ} + \overline{BQM} + \overline{QDM} = 180^\circ - \overline{DQB} = 180^\circ - 2\overline{DAB}.
Since m(DA1E‾)=m(DME‾)m(\overline{DA_1E}) = m(\overline{DME}), the quadrilateral DA1MEDA_1ME is cyclic.

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