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Print51st Ukrainian National Mathematical Olympiad, 4th Round
Ukraine geometry
Problem
In a trapezoid with the bases and , a point is chosen on the side . Let be the point of intersection of the lines and . A point is chosen on the side so that . Let be the point of intersection of the lines and , and let be the point of intersection of the lines and . Prove that the lines , and are concurrent.
Solution
Without loss of generality, assume that . Let be the point of any intersection of the lines and , and the point of intersection of the lines and (fig. 34).
First we prove that the points , , and are collinear. To this end, we use Menelaus' theorem for the triangle and three points , , , that lie on the lines that contain its sides: the points , , will be collinear if and only if Because , and , we have that , and . This implies that So, which proves that the points , , are collinear.
Next, consider the triangles and . Because , , , and these points are collinear, the Desargues' theorem implies that the lines , and are concurrent.
First we prove that the points , , and are collinear. To this end, we use Menelaus' theorem for the triangle and three points , , , that lie on the lines that contain its sides: the points , , will be collinear if and only if Because , and , we have that , and . This implies that So, which proves that the points , , are collinear.
Next, consider the triangles and . Because , , , and these points are collinear, the Desargues' theorem implies that the lines , and are concurrent.
Techniques
Menelaus' theoremDesargues theoremAngle chasing