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USA TSTST

United States geometry

Problem

Let be a scalene triangle with incenter . The incircle of touches , , at points , , , respectively. Let be the foot of the altitude from to , and let be the midpoint of . The rays and intersect the circumcircle of triangle again at points and , respectively. Show that the incenter of triangle coincides with .

problem
Solution
Refer to the figure below.

Claim — The point is the Miquel point of . Also, bisects . Proof. Inversion around the incircle maps line to and the nine-point circle of to the circumcircle of (as the midpoint of maps to , etc.). This implies maps to ; that is, coincides with the second intersection of with . This is the claimed Miquel point. The spiral similarity mentioned then gives , so bisects .

Claim — We have , so in particular bisects . Proof. Note that The last statement follows from Apollonian circle, or more bluntly .

Hence and are angle bisectors of and . However, and are isogonal in (as median and symmedian), and similarly for , as desired.

Techniques

Triangle centers: centroid, incenter, circumcenter, orthocenter, Euler line, nine-point circleInversionSpiral similarityMiquel pointBrocard point, symmediansPolar triangles, harmonic conjugatesCircle of ApolloniusAngle chasing