Problem

Source: China Mathematical Olympiad 1987 problem5

Tags: geometry, 3D geometry, sphere, tetrahedron, geometry unsolved



Let $A_1A_2A_3A_4$ be a tetrahedron. We construct four mutually tangent spheres $S_1,S_2,S_3,S_4$ with centers $A_1,A_2,A_3,A_4$ respectively. Suppose that there exists a point $Q$ such that we can construct two spheres centered at $Q$ satisfying the following conditions: i) One sphere with radius $r$ is tangent to $S_1,S_2,S_3,S_4$; ii) One sphere with radius $R$ is tangent to every edges of tetrahedron $A_1A_2A_3A_4$. Prove that $A_1A_2A_3A_4$ is a regular tetrahedron.