Maths Olympiad Prep

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Problem 1964

Hardest shortlist tier
Geometry Difficulty 9.3 Prove it IMO Training Camp Stage 3 Mock Competition (1) · Taiwan · 2014

Let point MM be a point on the circumcircle of triangle ABCABC. From point MM draw the (two) lines tangent to the incircle of triangle ABCABC, meeting BCBC at points X1,X2X_1, X_2 respectively. Prove that the second intersection point (i.e., the intersection point different from MM) of the circumcircle of triangle MX1X2MX_1X_2 with the circumcircle of ABCABC is exactly the tangency point of the circumcircle of ABCABC with the mixtilinear incircle in angle AA.
(Note: the mixtilinear incircle in angle AA refers to the circle that is tangent to both sides AB,ACAB, AC, and is internally tangent to the circumcircle of ABCABC.)

Let MM be an arbitrary point on the circumcircle of triangle ABCABC and let the tangents from this point to the incircle of the triangle meet the sideline BCBC at X1X_1, and X2X_2. Prove that the second intersection of the circumcircle of triangle MX1X2MX_1X_2 with the circumcircle of ABCABC (different from MM) coincides with the tangency point of the circumcircle with mixtilinear incircle in angle AA. (As usual, the A-mixtilinear incircle names the circle tangent to AB,ACAB, AC and to the circumcircle of ABCABC internally.)

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.

End of the track

Official solution

Assume without loss of generality that MM lies on the same side of line BCBC as the vertex AA. In this case, we denote by (I)(I) the common incircle of triangles ABCABC, and MX1X2MX_1X_2 with radius rr, and let D,E,F,Y1,Y2D, E, F, Y_1, Y_2 be the tangency points of (I)(I) with the sidelines BC,CA,AB,MX1,MX2BC, CA, AB, MX_1, MX_2.

Consider the inversion Ψ\Psi with center II and power r2r^2, which takes the vertices A,B,C,M,X1,X2A, B, C, M, X_1, X_2 to the midpoints A,B,C,M,X1,X2A', B', C', M', X_1', X_2' of the sides EF,FD,DE,Y2Y1,Y1D,DY2EF, FD, DE, Y_2Y_1, Y_1D, DY_2 of the intouch triangles DEFDEF, and DY2Y1DY_2Y_1. The circumcircles (O),(P)(O), (P) of triangles ABCABC, and MX1X2MX_1X_2 become the circumcircles (O),(P)(O'), (P') of the triangles ABC,MX1X2A'B'C', M'X_1'X_2', which, because they coincide with the nine-point circles of two triangles of the same circumcircle, are congruent and have the common radius r2\frac{r}{2}. Since the sidelines BC,CA,AB,MX1,MX2BC, CA, AB, MX_1, MX_2 are tangent to the inversion circle (I)(I), their images under Ψ\Psi are the congruent circles Γa,Γb,Γc,Ω1,Ω2\Gamma_a, \Gamma_b, \Gamma_c, \Omega_1, \Omega_2 with diameters ID,IE,IF,IX1,IX2ID, IE, IF, IX_1, IX_2, respectively. The congruent circles (O),Γb,Γc(O'), \Gamma_b, \Gamma_c

with radii r2\frac{r}{2} meet at point AA'. Thus, a circle (A,r)(A', r) with center AA' and radius rr is tangent to all three at points diametrically opposite to AA'.

The internal angle-bisector AIAI of the angle A\angle A passing through the inversion center II is carried into itself. The mixtilinear incircle (Ka)(K_a) and the mixtilinear excircle (La)(L_a) of the triangle ABCABC in the angle AA are the only two circles centered on AIAI and simultaneously tangent to CA,ABCA, AB, and (O)(O). Since the inversion center II is the similarity center of a circle and its inversion images, only the images (Ka),(La)(K'_a), (L'_a) of (Ka),(La)(K_a), (L_a) are centered on AIAI and tangent to Γb,Γc,(O)\Gamma_b, \Gamma_c, (O'). The mixtilinear excircle (La)(L_a), lying outside of the circumcircle (O)(O) and outside of the inversion circle (I)(I), has both intersections with AIAI on the ray ILa\overrightarrow{IL_a}. Since the inversion in (I)(I) has positive power r2r^2, its images (La)(L'_a) also has both intersections with AIAI on the ray ILa\overrightarrow{IL_a} and it is centered on the ray IA\overrightarrow{IA}. It cannot be identical with the circle (A,r)(A', r) centered on the opposite ray IA\overrightarrow{IA}. Therefore, the image of the mixtilinear incircle (Ka)(K_a) in angle AA under Ψ\Psi is the circle (A,r)(A', r). Furthermore, the inverse image of the tangency point ZZ of the circles (Ka)(K_a), and (O)(O) is the tangency point ZZ' of (A,r)(A', r) and (O)(O), the antipode of AA' with respect to the circumcircle (O)(O').

Let now A0,B0,C0,O1,O2A_0, B_0, C_0, O_1, O_2 be the centers of the congruent circles Γa,Γb,Γc,Ω1,Ω2\Gamma_a, \Gamma_b, \Gamma_c, \Omega_1, \Omega_2. Since Γa\Gamma_a is the reflection of (O)(O') in BCB'C' and since OO' and II are isogonal conjugated with respect to triangle ABCA'B'C', the quadrilateral BZCIB'Z'C'I is a parallelogram, and therefore, its diagonals BC,IZB'C', IZ' cut each other at half at the midpoint of segment BCB'C'. It now follows that the quadrilateral IA0ZOIA_0Z'O' is also a parallelogram, and thus, IA0=OZ=r2IA_0 = O'Z' = \frac{r}{2}. Now since A0I=A0X1=O1I=O1X1=r2A_0I = A_0X'_1 = O_1I = O_1X'_1 = \frac{r}{2}, the quadrilateral A0IO1X1A_0IO_1X'_1 is a rhombus, and since the segments O1X1,IA0,OZO_1X'_1, IA_0, O'Z' are parallel and congruent, the quadrilateral O1X1ZOO_1X'_1Z'O' is a parallelogram. In conclusion, the triangles PX1ZPX'_1Z', and MO1OM'O_1O' are congruent and PZ=MO=r2P'Z' = M'O' = \frac{r}{2}. Hence, ZZ' lies on the circle (P)(P'), which means that the second intersection of the circumcircle (P)(P) of triangle MX1X2MX_1X_2 with the circumcircle (O)(O) of ABCABC (different from MM) coincides with the tangency point ZZ of the mixtilinear incircle in angle AA with the circumcircle (O)(O).

Figure 1

Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement translated into English from zh; metadata (topic, difficulty, ordering) added by this project.