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PrintSlovenija 2008
Slovenia 2008 geometry
Problem
Let be a right triangle with the right angle at and let be a point on the segment . Denote the circumcircle of the triangle by . Let be a point on , such that the chord is perpendicular to . Prove that the triangle is isosceles with the apex at if and only if is tangent to .

Solution
Let be the intersection of the chords and . We know that is a right triangle. First, assume that the triangle is isosceles and write . Inscribed angles and over are equal, so . Since is perpendicular to , we have . In the right triangle we have , so and the angle between the line and the segment is equal to the angle over the chord . Thus, is tangent to the circumcircle .
Conversely, assume that is tangent to . Let . The angle is equal to the inscribed angle over the chord , so . Also, , so . We see that and this angle is in turn equal to , because they are both inscribed angles over the same chord . We have and the triangle is isosceles with the apex at .
Conversely, assume that is tangent to . Let . The angle is equal to the inscribed angle over the chord , so . Also, , so . We see that and this angle is in turn equal to , because they are both inscribed angles over the same chord . We have and the triangle is isosceles with the apex at .
Techniques
TangentsCyclic quadrilateralsAngle chasing