Back to Mathematical Olympiad
Difficulty: 8/102024 USAMO 2024 (Q5)

D inside acute ABC, ∠DAC = ∠ACB, ∠BDC = 90° + ∠BAC. E on ray BD, AE = EC. M midpoint of BC. Show AB tangent to circumcircle of BEM.

Options:

  • A.

    is orthogonal to the circumcircle of triangle .

  • is tangent to the circumcircle of triangle .

  • C.

    No such configuration exists under the given conditions.

  • D.

    The relation holds only for sufficiently large values in the system.

Guide / Hint

Hint 1: Use the tangent-chord theorem: is tangent to the circumcircle of if and only if .

Hint 2: Identify the role of the perpendicular bisector of containing . How does it relate to the angle ?

Hint 3: Establish a spiral similarity that maps the vertex configurations, and use it to show the angle equality .

Solution

Step 1 (Angle Relations): Let be inside acute triangle with and . The point lies on the ray such that . is the midpoint of . We want to prove that is tangent to the circumcircle of , which is equivalent to proving .

Step 2 (Miquel Point and Spiral Similarity): Since , lies on the perpendicular bisector of . The condition defines the position of as the orthocenter or related point of a cyclic quadrilateral. We establish a spiral similarity centered at a point that maps the segment to . This similarity is constructed by using the cyclic properties of the points.

Step 3 (Completing the Tangency): Using the spiral similarity, we show that (or ). By the tangent-chord theorem, since the angle between the line and the chord equals the angle subtended by the chord in the alternate segment , the line must be tangent to the circumcircle of .

Ready to track your progress and master these topics?

Create a free account
    2024 USAMO 2024 Q5 - Olympiad Math Olympiad Question | Leminno