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Mathematica competitions in Croatia

Croatia geometry

Problem

Let be acute triangle and let be points on its sides respectively. Prove that the triangles and are similar (, , ) if and only if the orthocentre of the triangle coincides with the circumcentre of the triangle .

problem


problem
Solution
Let the triangle be similar to the triangle (, , ), and let the point be the orthocentre of the triangle . Then , , so . Since , the quadrilateral is cyclic. Hence and .

Analogously, because quadrilaterals and are cyclic, we get , and , , so is the circumcentre of the triangle .



Now assume that the point is the orthocentre of the triangle and the circumcentre of the triangle . Let , , and , , . Let the points on and on be such that the quadrilaterals and are cyclic. Then the quadrilateral is also cyclic. Hence . Since the supplementary angle of the angle is , the line is perpendicular to . This implies .

Since is the orthocentre of the triangle , the line is between and , and .

Since is cyclic, , and similarly . The sum of these two angles is and therefore the line lies between and .

We may assume that the line is closer to the point than the line (the other case is similar). That implies and . Adding these two inequalities gives Since , we have .

Also, .

Therefore in we actually have equality, which can be attained only if and , i.e. if and the lines and coincide. Then also and , so the triangles and are similar.

Techniques

Triangle centers: centroid, incenter, circumcenter, orthocenter, Euler line, nine-point circleCyclic quadrilateralsAngle chasing