Browse · MathNet
PrintNational Math Olympiad
Slovenia geometry
Problem
Each point on the sides of the triangle is either red or blue. Prove that one can find points , , and on the sides of the triangle , such that all four points have the same colour and the quadrilateral is a trapezoid.

Solution
Denote the vertices of the triangle by , and and let , and be the midpoints of the sides , and . At least two of the points , and are the same colour. We may assume that the points and are both red. The segment is parallel to the segment . If we can find two red points on the segment then we have found the trapezoid we wanted. Otherwise at most one of the points on the segment is red. If there exists a red point distinct from and , then denote it by . If there is none, then let be an arbitrary point on the segment distinct from and . Hence, all the points on the segment with the exception of , and possibly , are blue.
Assume that there exist two distinct blue points on the segment also both distinct from . Denote them by and , so that is the one closer to . Let be a blue point on the segment distinct from . Let be the intersection of the segment and the line through parallel to the line . Then is a trapezoid and all of its vertices are blue.
Similarly, we show that either we can find such a trapezoid or else there is at most one blue point other than on the segment . In the latter case the segments and are almost entirely red and we can easily find a trapezoid with the required property. We can get its vertices as the intersections of two parallel lines with the segments and .
Assume that there exist two distinct blue points on the segment also both distinct from . Denote them by and , so that is the one closer to . Let be a blue point on the segment distinct from . Let be the intersection of the segment and the line through parallel to the line . Then is a trapezoid and all of its vertices are blue.
Similarly, we show that either we can find such a trapezoid or else there is at most one blue point other than on the segment . In the latter case the segments and are almost entirely red and we can easily find a trapezoid with the required property. We can get its vertices as the intersections of two parallel lines with the segments and .
Techniques
Combinatorial GeometryConstructions and lociPigeonhole principle