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PrintHellenic Mathematical Olympiad
Greece geometry
Problem
Let be a triangle with and circumcircle of center . We consider the circle with center lying on the circle , and tangent to the line at the point and tangent to the extension of the side at point . The circles and intersect at the points and (the point lies in the interior of the triangle ). If the line intersects the lines and at the points and , respectively, prove that the quadrilateral is cyclic.


Solution
We have and (because is tangent to the side at and to the line at ).
Figure 4
Figure 5
Hence the quadrilateral is cyclic and let be its circumcircle. Moreover we have the equalities:
The is the common chord of the circles and and is the common chord of the circles and . Since and meet at , the common chord of the circles and will pass through (radical center of the circles ). Since the orthogonal triangles , are equal (, ), we have . Hence is the perpendicular bisector of , and since , it follows that and . Since bisects the angle and is inscribed into the circle we have . Hence is cyclic.
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Alternative solution.
We have and (because is tangent to the side at and to the line at ). Hence the quadrilateral is cyclic and let be its circumcircle. We consider the inversion with respect to the circle (with center ). Since circle is passing through , its image is the line of common chord , and therefore: The image of belongs to the line . (5) Since circle is passing through , its image is the line of common chord , and therefore: The image of belongs to the line . (6) From (5), (6) we conclude that the image of under the inversion we have considered is the point . Also, has image the point . Hence the quadrilateral is cyclic.
Figure 4
Figure 5
Hence the quadrilateral is cyclic and let be its circumcircle. Moreover we have the equalities:
The is the common chord of the circles and and is the common chord of the circles and . Since and meet at , the common chord of the circles and will pass through (radical center of the circles ). Since the orthogonal triangles , are equal (, ), we have . Hence is the perpendicular bisector of , and since , it follows that and . Since bisects the angle and is inscribed into the circle we have . Hence is cyclic.
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Alternative solution.
We have and (because is tangent to the side at and to the line at ). Hence the quadrilateral is cyclic and let be its circumcircle. We consider the inversion with respect to the circle (with center ). Since circle is passing through , its image is the line of common chord , and therefore: The image of belongs to the line . (5) Since circle is passing through , its image is the line of common chord , and therefore: The image of belongs to the line . (6) From (5), (6) we conclude that the image of under the inversion we have considered is the point . Also, has image the point . Hence the quadrilateral is cyclic.
Techniques
Cyclic quadrilateralsTangentsRadical axis theoremInversionAngle chasing