11th Annual Harvard-MIT Mathematics Tournament

Saturday 23 February 2008

Individual Round: Geometry Test

1. [3] How many different values can ∠ABC take, where A,B,C are distinct vertices of a cube?
√ √ √
Answer: 5 . In a unit cube, there are 3 types of triangles, with side lengths (1, 1, 2), (1, 2, 3)
√ √ √
and ( 2, 2, 2). Together they generate 5 different angle values.
2. [3] Let ABC be an equilateral triangle. Let Ω be its incircle (circle inscribed in the triangle) and let ω
be a circle tangent externally to Ω as well as to sides AB and AC. Determine the ratio of the radius
of Ω to the radius of ω.
Answer: 3 Label the diagram as shown below, where Ω and ω also denote the center of the
corresponding circles. Note that AM is a median and Ω is the centroid of the equilateral triangle.
So AM = 3M Ω. Since M Ω = N Ω, it follows that AM/AN = 3, and triangle ABC is the image of
triangle AB 0 C 0 after a scaling by a factor of 3, and so the two incircles must also be related by a scale
factor of 3.

A
ω 0
B0 C
N
Ω

B C
M

3. [4] Let ABC be a triangle with ∠BAC = 90◦ . A circle is tangent to the sides AB and AC at X and
Y respectively, such that the points on the circle diametrically opposite X and Y both lie on the side
BC. Given that AB = 6, find the area of the portion of the circle that lies outside the triangle.
C

A X B

Answer: π − 2 Let O be the center of the circle, and r its radius, and let X 0 and Y 0 be the points
diametrically opposite X and Y , respectively. We have OX 0 = OY 0 = r, and ∠X 0 OY 0 = 90◦ . Since
triangles X 0 OY 0 and BAC are similar, we see that AB = AC. Let X 00 be the projection of Y 0 onto
AB. Since X 00 BY 0 is similar to ABC, and X 00 Y 0 = r, we have X 00 B = r. It follows that AB = 3r, so
r = 2.

X0

O Y0
Y

A X X 00 B

1
 Then, the desired area is the area of the quarter circle minus that of the triangle X 0 OY 0 . And the
answer is 41 πr2 − 12 r2 = π − 2.
4. [4] In a triangle ABC, take point D on BC such that DB = 14, DA = 13, DC = 4, and the circumcircle
of ADB is congruent to the circumcircle of ADC. What is the area of triangle ABC?
Answer: 108

B M D C

The fact that the two circumcircles are congruent means that the chord AD must subtend the same
angle in both circles. That is, ∠ABC = ∠ACB, so ABC is isosceles. Drop the perpendicular M from
A to BC; we know M C = 9 and so M D = 5 and by Pythagoras on AM D, AM = 12. Therefore, the
area of ABC is 21 (AM )(BC) = 21 (12)(18) = 108.
5. [5] A piece of paper is folded in half. A second fold is made such that the angle marked below has
measure φ (0◦ < φ < 90◦ ), and a cut is made as shown below.

When the piece of paper is unfolded, the resulting hole is a polygon. Let O be one of its vertices.
Suppose that all the other vertices of the hole lie on a circle centered at O, and also that ∠XOY = 144◦ ,
where X and Y are the the vertices of the hole adjacent to O. Find the value(s) of φ (in degrees).
Answer: 81◦ Try actually folding a piece of paper. We see that the cut out area is a kite, as shown
below. The fold was made on AC, and then BE and DE. Since DC was folded onto DA, we have
∠ADE = ∠CDE.

E
A C

Either A or C is the center of the circle. If it’s A, then ∠BAD = 144◦ , so ∠CAD = 72◦ . Using
CA = DA, we see that ∠ACD = ∠ADC = 54◦ . So ∠EDA = 27◦ , and thus φ = 72◦ + 27◦ = 99◦ ,
which is inadmissible, as φ < 90◦ .
So C is the center of the circle. Then, ∠CAD = ∠CDA = 54◦ , ∠ADE = 27◦ , and φ = 54◦ +27◦ = 81◦ .
6. [5] Let ABC be a triangle with ∠A = 45◦ . Let P be a point on side BC with P B = 3 and P C = 5.
Let O be the circumcenter of ABC. Determine the length OP .

2
 √ √
Answer: 17 Using extended Sine law, we find the circumradius of ABC to be R = 2 BC
sin A = 4 2.
√
By
√ considering √the power of point P , we find that R2 − OP 2 = P B · P C = 15. So OP = R2 − 15 =
16 · 2 − 15 = 17.

7. [6] Let C1 and C2 be externally tangent circles with radius 2 and 3, respectively. Let C3 be a circle
internally tangent to both C1 and C2 at points A and B, respectively. The tangents to C3 at A and B
meet at T , and T A = 4. Determine the radius of C3 .
Answer: 8 Let D be the point of tangency between C1 and C2 . We see that T is the radical center
of the three circles, and so it must lie on the radical axis of C1 and C2 , which happens to be their
common tangent T D. So T D = 4.

A
C1

T
D
C3
C2
B

We have
∠AT D 2 1 ∠BT D 3 3
tan = = , and tan = = .
2 TD 2 2 TD 4
Thus, the radius of C3 equals to
 
∠AT B ∠AT D + ∠BT D
T A tan = 4 tan
2 2
D D
tan ∠AT
2 + tan ∠BT
2
=4· D D
1 − tan ∠AT
2 tan ∠BT
2
1
2+ 34
=4·
1 − 21 · 34
= 8.

8. [6] Let ABC be an equilateral triangle with side length 2, and let Γ be a circle with radius 12 centered at
the center of the equilateral triangle. Determine the length of the shortest path that starts somewhere
on Γ, visits all three sides of ABC, and ends somewhere on Γ (not necessarily at the starting point).
√
Express your answer in the form of p − q, where p and q are rational numbers written as reduced
fractions.
q
28
Answer: 3 − 1 Suppose that the path visits sides AB, BC, CA in this order. Construct points

A0 , B 0 , C 0 so that C 0 is the reflection of C across AB, A0 is the reflection of A across BC 0 , and B 0 is

the reflection of B across A0 C 0 . Finally, let Γ0 be the circle with radius 21 centered at the center of
A0 B 0 C 0 . Note that Γ0 is the image of Γ after the three reflections: AB, BC 0 , C 0 A0 .

3
 B0 C0 A

A0 B C

When the path hits AB, let us reflect the rest of the path across AB and follow this reflected path.
When we hit BC 0 , let us reflect the rest of the path across BC 0 , and follow the new path. And when
we hit A0 C 0 , reflect the rest of the path across A0 C 0 and follow the new path. We must eventually end
up at Γ0 .
It is easy to see that the shortest path connecting some point on Γ to some point on Γ0 lies on the
line connecting
r the centers of the two circles. We can easily find the distance between the two centers
 2 q
0
to be 32 + √13 = 28 3 . Therefore, the length of the shortest path connecting Γ to Γ has length
q
28
3 −1. By reflecting this path three times back into ABC, we get a path that satisfies our conditions.

9. [7] Let ABC be a triangle, and I its incenter. Let the incircle of ABC touch side BC at D, and
let lines BI and CI meet the circle with diameter AI at points P and Q, respectively. Given BI =
2
6, CI = 5, DI = 3, determine the value of (DP/DQ) .
75
Answer: 64

Q P
F I E

B D C

Let the incircle touch sides AC and AB at E and F respectively. Note that E and F both lie on
the circle with diameter AI since ∠AEI = ∠AF I = 90◦ . The key observation is that D, E, P are
collinear. To prove this, suppose that P lies outside the triangle (the other case is analogous), then
∠P EA = ∠P IA = ∠IBA + ∠IAB = 21 (∠B + ∠A) = 90◦ − 12 ∠C = ∠DEC, which implies that D, E, P
are collinear. Similarly D, F, Q are collinear. Then, by Power of a Point, DE · DP = DF · DQ. So
DP/DQ = DF/DE.
√ √
Now we compute DF/DE. Note that DF = 2DB sin ∠DBI = 2 62 − 32 36 = 3 3, and DE =


√ √
5 3
2DC sin ∠DCI = 2 52 − 32 35 = 24


5 . Therefore, DF/DE = 8 .

10. [7] Let ABC be a triangle with BC = 2007, CA = 2008, AB = 2009. Let ω be an excircle of ABC
that touches the line segment BC at D, and touches extensions of lines AC and AB at E and F ,
respectively (so that C lies on segment AE and B lies on segment AF ). Let O be the center of ω. Let
` be the line through O perpendicular to AD. Let ` meet line EF at G. Compute the length DG.
Answer: 2014024 Let line AD meet ω again at H. Since AF and AE are tangents to ω and ADH
is a secant, we see that DEHF is a harmonic quadrilateral. This implies that the pole of AD with
respect to ω lies on EF . Since ` ⊥ AD, the pole of AD lies on `. It follows that the pole of AD is G.

4
 A

G B D C

Thus, G must lie on the tangent to ω at D, so C, D, B, G are collinear. Furthermore, since the pencil
of lines (AE, AF ; AD, AG) is harmonic, by intersecting it with the line BC, we see that (C, B; D, G)
is harmonic as well. This means that
BD CG
· = −1.
DC GB
(where the lengths are directed.) The semiperimeter of ABC is s = 21 (2007 + 2008 + 2009) = 3012. So
BD = s − 2009 = 1003 and CD = s − 2008 = 1004. Let x = DG, then the above equations gives
1003 x + 1004
· = 1.
1004 x − 1003
Solving gives x = 2014024.

Remark: If you are interested to learn about projective geometry, check out the last chapter of Geometry
Revisited by Coxeter and Greitzer or Geometric Transformations III by Yaglom.