In a quadrilateral $ABCD$ angles $A$ and $C$ are right. Two circles with diameters $AB$ and $CD$ meet at points $X$ and $Y$ . Prove that line $XY$ passes through the midpoint of $AC$. (F. Nilov )
Problem
Source: 2014 Sharygin Geometry Olympiad Final Round 9.2
Tags: circles, geometry
NikoIsLife
03.08.2018 15:31
It is easy to see that $ABCD$ is cyclic, whose circumcircle has diameter $BD$.
Let the circumcircle be $x^2+y^2=1$, and $B(1,0),D(-1,0)$.
Let $A(a,b),C(c,d)$, where $a,b,c,d$ are real numbers such that $a^2+b^2=c^2+d^2=1$.
The equation of the circumcircle with diameter $AB$ is given by:
$\left(x-\frac{a+1}{2}\right)^2+\left(y-\frac{b}{2}\right)^2=\frac{(a-1)^2}{4}+\frac{b^2}{4}$
This is equivalent to
$x^2-(a+1)x+y^2-by+a=0$
The equation of the circumcircle with diameter $CD$ is given by:
$\left(x-\frac{c-1}{2}\right)^2+\left(y-\frac{d}{2}\right)^2=\frac{(c+1)^2}{4}+\frac{d^2}{4}$
This is equivalent to
$x^2-(c-1)x+y^2-dy-c=0$
Subtracting the two equations of circumcircles gives us line $XY$:
$-(a+1)x+(c-1)x-by+dy+a+c=0$
It is easy to show that the midpoint of $AC$, which is $\left(\frac{a+c}{2},\frac{b+d}{2}\right)$, lies on this line.
little-fermat
03.08.2018 16:02
Let $M,E,F$ be the midpoints of $AC,AB,CD$ then we only need to show that $M$ lies on the radical axes of the two circles : the power of point $M$ with respect to the circle with diameter $AB$ is : $ME^2-EA^2=\frac{1}{4}(BC^2-AB^2)$ the power of point $M$ with respect to the circle with diameter $CD$ is : $MF^2-FD^2=\frac{1}{4}(AD^2-DC^2)$ but since $BC^2+CD^2=AB^2+AD^2\implies \frac{1}{4}(BC^2-AB^2)=\frac{1}{4}(AD^2-DC^2)\implies M$ lies on the radical axes of the two circles