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Selection and Training Session

Belarus geometry

Problem

Given a triangle . Let be the circle passing through centered at . Let be a variable point on , and let be the midpoint of the segment . Find the locus of the midpoints of , when moves along .
Solution
Let be the radius of the given circle, the midpoint of , the midpoint of , the midpoint of . Let , be the (complex) coordinates of the points , respectively. Then , , , . So we can easily find , . The complex equation of the given circle is , i.e. , or , or . That is the locus of points is the circle of radius with the center at .
Final answer
A circle centered at N, the midpoint of BM (where M is the midpoint of AC), with radius equal to one quarter of AC (equivalently, R/4 where R is the radius of S).

Techniques

Complex numbers in geometryConstructions and loci