Let A be be a point outside the circle C, and AB and AC be the two tangents from A to this circle C. Let L be an arbitrary tangent to C that cuts AB and AC in P and Q. A line through P parallel to AC cuts BC in R. Prove that while L varies, QR passes through a fixed point.
Problem
Source: iran 2002 3rd round
Tags: ratio, conics, function, geometry proposed, geometry
03.06.2004 06:40
Suppose $T$ is intersection of $QR$ and $AB$ If the tangent from $T$ to circle (not $AB$ the other) is' not parallel to $AC$ by Brianchon theorem $PR$ , $AC$ and tangent from $T$ to circle are concurrent. But $PR$ is parallel to $AC$ contradiction. So $T$ is constant.
03.06.2004 09:45
Well done . A very nice solution. See my solution( its a little bit longer): I will prove that the pole of QR is on a fixed line. The pole of QR is the intersection of the polars of Q and R. Let L be tangent to C in X. So the polar of Q is XC . we name the line through P parallel to AC: d. So the polar of R is the line through A and the pole of d .The pole of d (which is Y) is on the diameter of C perpendicular to d( which is the diameter through C which we name CD) .it lies also on BX. So we have found Y=( CD, BX). Let Z be the intersection of CX and AY( so Z is the pole of QR). Now to finish: its obvious that Z is on BD which is constant ( because AY ,the polar of R, passes through Z so the polar of Z passes through R so Z is on BD).
03.06.2004 11:24
Here's what I did: we must show that the application from line $AC$ to line $BC$ which maps $Q\to R$ is a perspectivity. In order to do this we must show that it's a homographic (preserving the cross-ratio) transformation and it maps $C\to C$. It's easy to see that it's homographic because it's the composition of $Q\to P$ (from line $AC$ to line $AB$; it's wel-known that this sort of transformation is homographic (even if $(C)$ is a conic, not only a circle)) and $P\to R$ (from line $AB$ to line $BC$). We must now show that $C\to C$. In this case $Q=C\Rightarrow L=AC\Rightarrow P=A\Rightarrow PR=AC\Rightarrow R=AC\cap BC=C$, and we're done.
03.06.2004 14:08
grobber, i didn't understand your solution properly could u explain more?
03.06.2004 17:55
Assume you have two lines $d_1,\ d_2$ and a point $X$ (which doesn't belong to $d_1$ or $d_2$). Take a variable line $d$ through $X$ which cuts $d_i$ in $A_i$. The function $f:d_1\to d_2,\ f(A_1)=A_2$ is called perspectivity and it'sa a particular case of function from $d_1$ to $d_2$ which preserves the cross-ratio of four points. If you have $g:d_1\to d_2$ s.t. $g$ preserves the cross-ratio, it can be shown (I won't show it here; try searching the Net for stuff like "homographic transformation", "perspectivity" etc.) that this is a perspectivity iff $g(O)=O$, where $O=d_1\cap d_2$. This is exactly what I did here.
05.06.2004 12:12
oh! Grobber I know homographic transformation I had not understood the last part of your proof.
05.06.2004 14:25
Oh.. Sorry for lecturing you Is it Ok now?
05.06.2004 15:12
last line is'nt clear to me properly
05.06.2004 15:19
What I'm trying to say is that according to the theorem I meantioned in one of my previous messages on this topic, in order to show that the transformation $Q\to R$ is a perspectivity from line $AC$ to line $BC$ (i.e. $QR$ passes through a fixed point), we must show that by this transformation the intersection point of the two lines $AC$ and $BC$ turns into itself. This means we want to prove that when $Q$ coincides with $C$, by constructing $R$, we also find it to coincide with $C$. That's why the last line begins with $Q=C$ and ends with $R=C$ (what we want to show is the implication $Q=C\Rightarrow R=C$).
25.07.2010 17:37
Omid Hatami wrote: Suppose $T$ is intersection of $QR$ and $AB$ If the tangent from $T$ to circle (not $AB$ the other) is' not parallel to $AC$ by Brianchon theorem $PR$ , $AC$ and tangent from $T$ to circle are concurrent. But $PR$ is parallel to $AC$ contradiction. So $T$ is constant. I don't understand why we have $PR$ , $AC$ and tangent from $T$ to circle are concurrent by Brianchon theorem