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Difficulty: 10/102023 IMO 2023 (Q6)

Let be an equilateral triangle. Let be interior points of such that , , , and

Let and meet at , let and meet at , and let and meet at . Prove that if triangle is scalene, then the three circumcircles of triangles , , and all pass through two common points.

Options:

  • The three circumcircles share two common points.

  • B.

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

  • C.

    There is no general solution for all cases.

  • D.

    No such configuration exists under the given conditions.

Guide / Hint

Hint 1: means lies on the perpendicular bisector of . Similarly for . The angle sum gives a constraint since each angle is between and .

Hint 2: Show the three circumcircles are coaxial: their pairwise radical axes coincide. Use the symmetry of the equilateral triangle.

Hint 3: The condition that is scalene ensures the circles are distinct (not all equal). The angle condition is the key to the shared radical axis.

Solution

Step 1 (Symmetry): are on the perpendicular bisectors of sides respectively (since , etc.). The angle condition constrains how 'deep' these points are.

Step 2 (Points ): These are intersections of cevians. By Ceva's theorem considerations, the configuration has a natural trilinear symmetry.

Step 3 (Circumcircles): The circumcircle of passes through , , . Similarly for the other two. To show all three share two common points, show the radical axes of any two pairs are the same line, hence all three circles are coaxial.

Step 4 (Radical axis computation): The radical axis of the circumcircles of and passes through the radical center of these with the circumcircle of . The condition and equilateral triangle symmetry force a common radical axis, hence two common points.

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